Only two municipal employee union chapters in the nation to endorse Obama over Clinton

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120657808846318100

Union man
A Beaverton couple leads one of only two municipal employee union chapters in the nation to endorse Obama over Clinton in presidential race

By Shasta Kearns Moore

The Beaverton Valley Times, Mar 27, 2008, Updated Mar 27, 2008

It’s pretty easy to find the home of Ken Allen and Sue Lee-Allen. Theirs is the one in south Beaverton covered with Obama ’08 signs.


Jaime Valdez / The Beaverton Valley Times

Sue Lee Allen and Ken Allen of Beaverton, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, wait anxiously to see presidential hopeful Barack Obama


But the impact of the couple’s roadside statement reaches far beyond their suburban neighborhood.

Allen and Lee-Allen are, respectively, executive director and organizing director for the Oregon chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — one of only two chapters in the nation to endorse the Illinois senator over the national board’s decision to back New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. The other chapter is in Illinois.

“We believe he’s the kind of president who will make a difference,” Allen said at a March 21 rally at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland. He pointed to Sen. Barack Obama’s experience in mobilizing hospital employees in Illinois and the labor legislation he authored in Congress.

snip: AFSCME International President Gerald McEntee, who has close ties to the Clintons, said that the decision was based on extensive polls. The 10-month study suggested that Clinton “enjoys deep support among its members.”

But Allen argues that the polls were conducted in September, “which is way too early.

FULL story at link.

Note: I'm AFSCME.

[sharesunited]

1. The National AFSCME endorsement for Clinton

came early, back when she looked inevitable. Two months before Iowa, in fact.

If they polled the rank & file today, I'll bet Obama would be the choice.

http://www.afscme.org/press/16739.cfm