CITING HIS ENERGY STANDS,
UTILITY WORKERS ENDORSE OBAMA

Citing his energy stands, and particularly his willingness to investigate alternatives to foreign oil, the Utility Workers voted Feb. 25 to endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The endorsement is particularly valuable in two key upcoming primary states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, where the union has many members in northern Ohio and urban Pennsylvania energy firms.

Of the union’s 70,000 active and retired members, more than one-quarter (18,000) are in those two states combined, union President Michael Langford said. Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island vote March 4 and Pennsylvania votes April 22.

The Utility Workers are also yet another “blue-collar” union backing the Illinoisan, who supposedly trails his opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) among blue-collar union workers. But in recent days, besides the Utility Workers, Obama gained the Teamsters and the Boilermakers. Other “blue-collar” unions backed him before his recent winning streak in primaries.

“Obama understands our issues, supports our goals and will do what is right for utility workers, our families, our communities and our country," Langford said after the vote. "We join him in his fight for change in America that will put working people first."

Obama, accepting the endorsement, said the Utility Workers “are supporting our movement for change. They have stood up for the rights of their workers and as president I will stand with them to pass universal health care, cut taxes for the middle class, and create jobs.

“Every working American should be able to know that in this country we value their work and will reward it with a few basic guarantees--wages that can raise a family, a retirement that's secure and dignified, and working conditions that are safe. That's the kind of leadership I intend to offer as president,” he declared.

Langford said Obama all the other Democratic hopefuls--whom he did not name--agreed on rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, passing the Employee Free Choice Act, raising wages, creating fair trade and protecting pensions. But because of his energy proposals, Obama “is the candidate most likely to lead our country to true energy independence,” the Utility Workers statement added.

“He’s the only candidate that has not shut the door on a variety of energy sources. An energy policy that seeks to drastically reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help clean our environment must include a number of existing sources combined with new technologies,” Langford explained.