Democrats Give Unions New Clout
Veto threats from President Bush and opposition by Republicans in the Senate, where the rules allow the minority to block legislation, have prevented those and other union-endorsed proposals from becoming law. But labor lobbyists say they are setting the stage for 2009, when they expect a Democrat in the White House.
One immediate impact of labor's clout has come in trade policy: Democrats are demanding union-backed changes to environmental, worker safety and other elements of four trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration with South Korea, Columbia, Panama and Peru. Trade agreements require congressional approval.
"It's pure political payoff," said Rick Berman, a corporate lobbyist and public relations consultant who directs the Center for Union Facts, an anti-labor group. "The unions said, 'We got the money. You listen to us or you're going hungry.' "
