Less than a week after the powerful Teamsters union endorsed Dick Gephardt for president, one of the union's local affiliates is bucking the party line.
The Chicago Teamsters Local 705 announced Monday it is supporting Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for president. The announcement comes on the eve of the AFL-CIO meeting in Chicago in which the Democratic candidates will gather for a presidential forum.
With nearly 21,000 members, Local 705 is the largest Teamster local union in Illinois and the second largest Teamster local in the country...
Gerald Zero, the local's secretary-treasurer, said the choice was not part of any political dispute with the union's leadership and noted that his local sometimes disagrees with headquarters over political endorsements.
"We really didn't know they were going to endorse Gephardt or do it this fast either," Zero said of the union's decision last week to back the Missouri congressman. "We had planned on endorsing Kerry a week earlier. We think Kerry has the better chance to win."
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The Chicago Teamsters Local 705 announced Monday it is supporting Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for president. The announcement comes on the eve of the AFL-CIO meeting in Chicago in which the Democratic candidates will gather for a presidential forum.
With nearly 21,000 members, Local 705 is the largest Teamster local union in Illinois and the second largest Teamster local in the country...
Gerald Zero, the local's secretary-treasurer, said the choice was not part of any political dispute with the union's leadership and noted that his local sometimes disagrees with headquarters over political endorsements.
"We really didn't know they were going to endorse Gephardt or do it this fast either," Zero said of the union's decision last week to back the Missouri congressman. "We had planned on endorsing Kerry a week earlier. We think Kerry has the better chance to win."
Read More...
posted by Pamela J. Leavey at 7:50 PM
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