Unions slog for Edwards

If he wins in Iowa, labor will share some of the credit

DES MOINES, IOWA -- It was 19 degrees and snowy when Doug Watts began canvassing door to door for John Edwards on Monday, no small thing for a guy sent from Louisiana bayou country to stump for his union's favorite candidate.

"This white mud is giving me a bit of a problem," said Watts, a 41-year old chemical plant operator who was among hundreds of union members working to lift Edwards up over the finish line in Thursday's Iowa Democratic caucuses.

Though Edwards is not the kind of candidate who typically gains the labor vote -- he's not from a state with strong unions -- he has worked harder than any Democratic presidential candidate to court labor voters. Since he was a vice presidential candidate in 2004, Edwards has walked the picket lines in labor disputes across the country, and he has spoken to labor groups everywhere.

And though he did not get the overwhelming support of unions that he hoped for, he did get enough to be considered a viable candidate in Iowa.

His labor supporters can be seen all over this key state. Union members chant at rallies, slog through major Iowa cities handing out fliers and put up big bucks to buy air time to promote their candidate.

Edwards continues to reach out to them. He has made his campaign soundtrack the proudly blue-collar songs of Bruce Springsteen. Until recent days, he shunned suits for the more proletarian look of jeans and a pullover. He has picked up labor lingo, referring to members of the crowd as "brothers and sisters."

On Monday, members of such unions as the steelworkers, Iowa Postal Workers, state chapters of the Service Employees International Union, the International Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and Unite Here paid him back, going door to door in key cities across Iowa handing out Edwards literature.

At a recent Des Moines rally, members of the United Steelworkers clad in in blue T-shirts warmed up the crowd with a call and response:

"President," shouted Greg Hinds, a millwright from Wisconsin who is coordinating the steelworkers' effort for Edwards in Iowa.

"Edwards," responded more than 50 steelworkers.

In a library in Iowa City, dozens of purple-clad members of Service Employees International Union, mainly female health-care workers, had their own chant.

"We love Elizabeth. We love John. We want to see them on the White House lawn."

Though Edwards' union support is strong, some labor unions backed Clinton, who, along with Obama, has performed better in national polls. Clinton has won over such groups as the American Federation of State and County and Municipal Employees and the American Federation of Teachers. Obama has state-level union endorsements but has not won the backing of national groups, though some unions have withheld their endorsements.

Peter Francia, an expert on labor's role in politics, said Edwards has done remarkably well given that he's from a low-union state. He cautioned, though, that it is too soon for Edwards to call the labor vote a slam dunk.

"The fact that the endorsements have gone to both sides, some for Edwards and some for Clinton, to some extent the labor vote will cancel itself out," said Francia, a political science professor at East Carolina University.

"On the other hand," Francia said, "if Edwards didn't have the ground support from union members from Iowa, he would have very little chance of winning the caucus or winning the nomination."

Ads draw fire

For one thing, Edwards has been substantially outspent in Iowa by Clinton and Obama. Labor groups have tried to give him a lift, spending at least $2 million on those independent TV ads. Clinton has been aided by a $1.3 million effort by union supporters.