Worth the Labor

The Democratic presidential candidates descend on Chicago to vie for the labor endorsement at the AFL-CIO convention. What does big labor want and does it have the clout to get it? Support from the labor force could be the extra push that one of the candidates needs to clinch the election.

During the '90s boom, wooing labor endorsements was less of a priority for centrist Democrats, but hard economic times have pushed labor issues to the forefront of the Democratic primary. Is labor still a political powerhouse? Do the candidates need the unions' support to win?

Click the "Listen" link above to hear a discussion about the politics in today's labor force.

Guests:

Larry Scanlon, political director, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Harley Shaiken professor of Social and Cultural Studies and an expert on Labor issues, University of California Berkeley

Thomas Edsall, political correspondent, The Washington Post