Democrats Seek to Impress Unions

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., speaks at the Service Employees International Union Political Action Conference in Washington, Monday, Sept. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert - AP)

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential hopefuls on Monday brandished their labor credentials and tried to outdo one another with political promises as they competed for the support of two powerful labor unions.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut told the Service Employees International Union that he would get universal health care passed and signed in four years. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois insisted he would immediately bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton promised to stop outsourcing government work to private companies.

The SEIU endorsement would be a plum for any candidate. The organization bills itself as the nation's fastest growing union with more than 1.8 million members. It is also a major player in campaign financing, having given more than $25 million to mostly Democratic candidates since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Several Democrats shuttled from Chicago to Washington, appealing to the 500,000-member Laborers' International Union of North America in Chicago and then making their pitch to the SEIU later in the day.

Edwards told union activists in Washington that his first act as president would be to introduce a law taking away health care from Congress, the vice president and the Cabinet in July 2009 if universal health care was not passed first.

"And I don't want to hear any whining," Edwards told the cheering and stomping crowd.

Democrats have been working hard to gain the support of unions like the SEIU and the Laborers, hoping to break free of the presidential primary pack.

President Bush and his administration were popular targets, with each candidate promising to be more labor friendly.

"People say to me, when I'm president will labor have a seat at the table? Labor built the table," Clinton said.

Obama invoked Vice President Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when he talked about the questions about his experience.

"What they really mean is you haven't been in Washington long enough," Obama told the SEIU crowd. "We don't need that kind of experience. ... I might not have the kind of experience that Washington likes, but I have the experience America needs right now."

Dodd, Clinton and Edwards have each received endorsements from other unions this year.