Union leaders praise Gore, Lieberman at Vegas convention of Steelworkers

Grace Leong

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2000 | 10:58 a.m.

National AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says unions will have a greater voice and more political clout if they support and help elect Democrat Al Gore in the presidential campaign.

Sweeney told 3,500 members at the United Steelworkers of America's 30th Constitutional Convention in Las Vegas on Monday the Republicans' mantra of "compassionate conservatism" was "misleading" and noted they have in fact kept the unions "fighting from a defensive crouch."

While Gore is perceived as being pro-labor, Sweeney said Republican candidate George W. Bush "wants to repeal community wage standards, resurrect company-controlled unions, de-fund" OSHA and the National Labor Relations Board and permanently replace striking workers.

Sweeney also approved Gore's choice of a running mate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, whom he said has been a "consistent advocate for patients' rights, the minimum wage, community wage standards, stronger occupational health and safety enforcement, affirmative action and the freedom of workers to join unions."

Support for Gore by the steelworkers and other unions grew after the Clinton administration released a report two weeks ago outlining its plans to take aggressive measures to protect domestic steel producers from sudden increases in low-price imports and speed up its use of antidumping measures.

The 240-page report said the administration would start imposing duties on imported steel faster following criticism that it took too long to respond to the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. The U.S. market was flooded with below-cost steel after that crisis led to devalued currencies and as Asian demand dried up.

Steelworkers, who claimed the sudden steel import surges threatened their jobs, said they pushed for a steel quota bill in the House to avoid a replay of the 1980s crash in the steel market.

"We got the administration to admit the crisis actually existed -- and to draw up a steel action plan," said George Becker, the Steelworkers' international president. "Our activism was also the reason we got an emergency steel loan guarantee program passed. It gives federal guarantees of up to $1 billion in loans to steel and iron ore companies that have been hurt by the dumping crisis."