| Labor is on board to help St. Louis win the bid for the 2012 Democratic National Convention Bob Soutier, head of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, says the region's roughly 50 unions are signing "a solidarity agreement'' that will promote their support and cooperation for the city of St. Louis' bid to host the site for the 2012 Democratic presidential convention. - St Louis Beacon This is big news for St. Louis' bid and could go a long way in helping the DNC to decide on a host city. Back in 2006, Denver's bid almost fell through because there weren't any union hotels in the city. But the request for a proposal for the convention seeks an agreement between the host committee and labor - essentially to ensure there won't be a work stoppage. The Denver Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, distributed a resolution in May to fight Denver's bid unless the city gets a union hotel. ... Denver is among three finalists - along with Minneapolis- St. Paul and New York - vying to host Democrats when they nominate their next presidential candidate. Denver has at times been considered the front runner because of perceptions that the Rocky Mountain West is politically in play. But Willhite and Wedgeworth confirmed that they have been told by delegates that to win the bid, Denver needs at least one union hotel as a nod to labor. Both New York and Minneapolis have union hotels.
According to Unite Here: St. Louis has at least 11 union hotels.
Minneapolis has at least 13 union hotels.
Cleveland has at least 9 union hotels.
That leaves Charlotte, which has no union hotels, to possibly face the same issue that nearly derailed Denver's bid. I spoke with James Andrews, the president of the NC State AFL-CIO, today about the possibility of this causing a problem for Charlotte's bid.
Mr. Andrews told me that a Charlotte convention would help other union workers in the stagehand and transportation industries. He has been assured by leaders in Charlotte that the hotel issue is being addressed.
In the past, waivers have been given for events in North Carolina to bypass the DNC's preference for unionized hotels. To read more about the 2012 Democratic National Convention click here. |
