Aug 6, 2003 By Leigh Strope Ap Labor Writer 4 min read

CHICAGO (AP) – Divided on foreign trade and its impact on workers, the nine Democratic presidential contenders on Tuesday courted the AFL-CIO as the powerful union federation weighs a possible endorsement. Rivals Dick Gephardt and Joe Lieberman notably have been at odds over free-trade agreements that proponents argue expand the market for American-made goods and foes complain send U.S. manufacturing jobs overseas. The issue is crucial to union workers who typically vote Democratic. All nine Democrats will appear on stage together at a forum sponsored by the AFL-CIO, with about 2,000 rank-and-file members in attendance.

Gephardt, who has gambled his presidential hopes on the support of organized labor, has the most at stake Tuesday night in his effort to secure a laborwide endorsement. He gave a surprisingly impassioned speech to the United Steelworkers of America, who announced their endorsement Tuesday.

The former House Minority leader, a constant opponent of trade pacts, described the conditions in countries in which the United States has trade agreements.

“When people are living on the ground like animals in cardboard boxes, that’s nothing short of human exploitation,” the Missouri congressman boomed to a sympathetic audience. The steelworkers represent 1.2 million active and retired workers in the United States and Canada, with about 650,000 dues-paying members.

Union officials are meeting this week in part to determine whether Gephardt, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 1988, can secure enough endorsements from individual unions to win the elusive AFL-CIO prize. The federation has endorsed only twice before – Al Gore in the last election and Walter Mondale in 1984 – and the threshold is support from two-thirds of the AFL-CIO’s 13 million rank-and-file members.

Labor leaders say Gephardt is the only current candidate with a chance to join that list, even as they caution that there is a real possibility the labor group will make no endorsement. The AFL-CIO may call for another meeting later this fall, giving them more time to gauge support.

On trade, Gephardt stands alone in the top tier of candidates in solid opposition to free trade agreements that have decimated many unions. He has said that if elected, he would not negotiate any more pacts like the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Lieberman has faulted Democratic rivals for their protectionist ways. The Connecticut senator never mentions Gephardt by name, but Lieberman campaign aides say he is the target of the criticism. “Some would raise the walls of protectionism again,” Lieberman said in a speech Monday. “But we’ve got a record trade deficit and our manufacturers are hemorrhaging jobs. We need more markets, not fewer.”

Last year, Lieberman and Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina voted in favor of granting President Bush authority to negotiate fast-track trade agreements, which requires Congress to vote them up or down without making changes.

Another rival, Howard Dean, said in a labor questionnaire that he supports free-trade agreements if they contain provisions protecting workers. He also backed the North American Free Trade Agreement. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio congressman and son of a truck driver, also has opposed fast-track procedures for trade agreements.

Teri Luna, an Indiana steelworker, says she is a victim of global trade, with her plant slated to close Sept. 30 and move its operations to China. That was the key reason she supported Gephardt.

“I know who I can turn around and find – who’s got my back,” she said of Gephardt.

Organized labor, which has been battered by free-trade agreements, so far appears unwilling to cast aside Democrats who don’t share Gephardt’s strong opposition. Many unions are unsure about backing Gephardt, despite his trade views, much to the frustration of some labor leaders.

Politicians “who say they’re our friends should not assume for a moment that labor has nowhere else to go,” Teamsters President James P. Hoffa has said. “On this issue, there is no middle ground.”

Hoffa plans to join Gephardt Saturday at a Manchester, N.H., rally to formally announce his union’s endorsement.