http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aovrNraKQTLw&refer=usBy Kim Chipman
Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- For U.S. unions, the election of Barack Obama is a matter of win some, lose some.
On the campaign trail, the Democrat pledged to be an advocate for labor. He is delivering by promising a huge infrastructure-spending program to create or preserve 2.5 million jobs and a labor secretary who will give the unions a Cabinet- level voice. He also assured them of his support for a law making it easier for workers to organize.
On balance, union leaders said they are satisfied with Obama so far, even though they will have to put one of their central demands -- opposition to free-trade agreements -- on a back burner.
“Labor by and large understands that in this economic crisis a lot of things can potentially happen that would be good for them going forward,” said Joseph McCartin, a labor professor at Georgetown University in Washington. “Raising a problem for Obama right now probably won’t be to their advantage.”
That’s because even partial gains are an improvement for unions after eight years without a voice in the Bush administration. It may also be because the president-elect, who won with the help of an unprecedented push from organized labor, has the upper hand as he works to avert a further financial meltdown that threatens to push millions of already struggling workers -- and possibly their unions -- out of work.
Early Appointments
Behind the scenes, however, labor officials are grumbling over the appointments to Obama’s economic team, particularly his selection of New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and former Treasury chief Lawrence Summers to be his White House economic director. Both are linked to Robert Rubin, who pushed the North America Free Trade Agreement as former President Bill Clinton’s Treasury secretary.
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