Labor Won’t Join Protests at Democratic Gathering

Labor leaders have closed ranks around Vice President Al Gore and distanced themselves from protests planned for the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles next month, suggesting that the streets will be far less mobbed than some had feared or hoped.

Law enforcement projections of 10,000 to 50,000 protesters have been based largely on the size of crowds that gathered to protest global trade policies in Seattle last year and in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.

But the groundbreaking Seattle demonstrations involved a coalition of union members, environmentalists and students who had clear objectives: to shut down the World Trade Organization summit and force the WTO to consider labor and environmental standards when setting new trade rules.

Organized labor accounted for most of the estimated 45,000 demonstrators in Seattle, and the involvement of major national unions also gave those protests institutional weight.

Some labor activists complained privately that the goals of convention protesters are not as focused, and could hurt Gore’s image while accomplishing little else.

Labor has plenty to be unhappy about in Gore, including his position on China trade. But AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said those differences will be set aside from now until November because the alternative of a Republican victory “would be horrible.” He also noted that union members account for about one-third of the convention delegates, and thus have a chance of shaping party policy. Sweeney is a delegate, and will address the convention. “We will be inside the hall,” he said, “not outside it.”

Protest organizers, including some rank-and-file union members, said they had hoped for greater official union support because many of their events will address labor issues, such as the growing wealth gap and trade agreements that shift jobs to low-wage countries.

But they refrained from openly criticizing union leaders. “There’s been a lot of dialogue acknowledging that we have different interests,” said Lisa Fithian, a veteran labor organizer who is helping to direct the protest effort, dubbed D2KLA. “We want to be sure that we don’t create divisions.”

The group has not given up on labor, however, and recently leafleted union leaders attending a meeting of the County Federation of Labor, the umbrella group representing union locals. “We’re working hard on drawing labor in,” said Michael Everett, a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, who chairs D2KLA’s labor committee. “We’re approaching rank-and-file members and locals and finding a great deal of interest. . . . We’re hoping that labor participation will flow into this more in the last days.”

Everett and other D2KLA organizers planned to ask local labor officials today to help smooth tensions that have been building between the protest planners and the Los Angeles Police Department. But it was not clear whether the County Federation of Labor would intercede.

D2KLA organizers have repeatedly declared that their protests--meant to criticize the “corporatization” of the Democratic party--will be peaceful.

With about 800,000 union members, the labor federation here is among the largest and fastest-growing in the nation, and played an important role in electing Gov. Gray Davis and numerous state legislators. The federation also has shown it is willing to back militant street action, as it did during a boisterous three-week strike by thousands of union janitors this spring.

Federation officials said they considered organizing a “working families” convention that would spotlight the growing wage gap and lack of health insurance in Los Angeles, as well as support among local workers for immigration reform. But they decided the effort would drain resources just as they are gearing up for the campaign season.

Also, several militant unions have been mollified by winning good contracts in recent months. Two involved engineers and concession workers at Staples Center, the convention site. With those disputes settled, the federation and affected unions have agreed to sign a “labor peace” agreement with the Democrats later this month. The accord will apply only to union members working at the convention.

Several bitter labor disputes are likely to remain unresolved by August. They include contract negotiations involving 41,000 Los Angeles teachers and 45,000 county workers. Also, the hotel workers union is in the middle of an aggressive organizing campaign at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, where a number of Democratic fund-raisers plan to stay during the convention.

Hoping to capitalize on the large media presence in town for the convention, which runs Aug. 14-17, all three unions are planning marches and candlelight vigils. But spokesmen emphasized that they will be peaceful gatherings, supportive of the convention and separate from D2KLA events.

“We may not have a convergence when it comes to how we view the Democratic Party and Vice President Al Gore,” said Bart Diener, communications director for the Service Employees International Union, Local 660, which represents the county workers. “We are strong supporters, and our members will be working very hard on [Gore’s] campaign. We will be very careful that nothing we do will reflect badly on him or hurt his candidacy.”

Diener said about 3,000 members, ranging from librarians to welfare eligibility workers, will march past Staples Center on their way to a strike authorization vote Aug. 15. At some point, they will converge with a “pilgrimage” of about 6,000 teachers heading toward a rally at school district administration offices.

“With so many people trying to grab the spotlight, we’re a little concerned that our message could be lost,” said Steve Blazak, spokesman for the United Teachers of Los Angeles. “But we have a lot going for us. We can turn a lot of people out--our teachers are angry. This is the nation’s second-largest school district, and education is high on the national agenda and on Gore’s agenda.”

Blazak hastened to add, however, “Ours is peaceful and meant to be extremely positive and pro-Gore. Electing Al Gore president is our top priority.”