(The following story by Judy Sarasohn was published in the January 23 online issue of the Washington Post.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — An alliance of major transportation unions yesterday warned that they will refuse to give money at Democratic fundraisers hosted by four prominent Democrats who are leaders of an organization seeking to restrict collective bargaining rights in airline labor negotiations.
At a meeting with officials of the Democratic national, senatorial and congressional committees, Mike Ingrao, chief of staff of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Department, said, “We registered our dismay and disgust at former Democratic officeholders and party officials heading up a campaign to eliminate collective bargaining rights for airline workers.”
The union leaders, who included AFL-CIO political director Karen Ackerman, said they will not support fundraisers hosted by Vic Fazio, a former House member who served as chairman of the Democratic Caucus; Don Foley, former executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; Neil Goldschmidt, former Oregon governor and U.S. secretary of transportation; and Charles S. Robb, former Virginia governor and senator.
All — except Foley, who is a consultant — are national co-chairmen of a group called Communities for Economic Strength Through Aviation (CESTA) that is seeking to change the Railway Labor Act of 1926 to replace collective bargaining and possible strikes with an arbitration process.
Talking to Post colleague Thomas B. Edsall, Fazio described the union pressure as “regrettable. I have a lot of friends in labor, and this is an area where we have to engage in some discussions about helping preserve the jobs of a lot of people in the airline industry whose parent companies are now in serious jeopardy.”