WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush spent Labor Day just like he did last year. He attended a union picnic in Pennsylvania. The difference is that last year he was courting the steelworkers. This year it was the carpenters. He and his advisers seem intent on improving his showing among union voters.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Bush seem to understand each other very well, even though they have not spoken since Bush became president nearly 20 months ago. They are at war.
Sweeney is building the AFL-CIO into a potent political force in America and Bush knows that it will never be on his side in any election. With the exception of Carpenters Union President Douglas McCarron and Teamsters Union President James Hoffa Jr., the ranks of leadership in the AFL-CIO are cooperative and united as they focus on their electoral strength to protect their members.