Jockeying starts for union gubernatorial endorsements

BY JULIA SILVERMAN
The Associated Press

March 10, 2006

PORTLAND, Ore. — When gubernatorial hopefuls of all stripes plead their case this weekend at the annual Oregon Education Association convention, it’s the first step on the road to campaign contributions that could top $250,000.

Almost all the major candidates are expected to put in an appearance, but the Republican contenders attend knowing that it’s highly unlikely that one of their number will capture the teacher union’s endorsement.

Still, this year there is an “X-factor” — State Sen. Ben Westlund, a Republican-turned-Independent who has cast himself as a centrist and is actively wooing the labor base, traditionally among the deepest-pocketed supporters of the Democrats.

Westlund’s pitch comes at a time when public employee frustration with Democratic incumbent Gov. Ted Kulongoski is well-documented, after he briefly froze state employees’ salaries and championed major reforms to the pension system that covers retired public employees, a battle that eventually wound up in a court challenge.

In 2002, Kulongoski lost the OEA’s endorsement in the primary to former State Treasurer Jim Hill, who is running again this cycle. But after Kulongoski sewed up the Democratic nomination, the group closed ranks, pouring $250,000, plus more from individual branches, into his campaign.

Other unions followed suit: Kulongoski got $185,000 from the Service Employees International Union Local 503, which represents more than 18,000 state employees, plus another $90,000 worth of “in-kind contributions” from the union. And a group called “Citizen Action by Public Employees” put $89,000 toward Kulongoski’s campaign, according to campaign finance records kept by the Secretary of State’s office.

Labor unions are also prized for the sheer manpower they can offer. Their members will mobilize to knock on doors and distribute leaflets for a candidate, get-out-the-vote efforts that can make the difference in a close campaign.

While still a registered Republican, Westlund also supported reforms made to the public pension system. But he has also advocated for reform of the state’s tax structure, and is backing a ballot measure that would raise cigarette taxes to provide health insurance to more low-income Oregonians.

“Ben Westlund has been very active in visiting our members and talking with them,” said Chip Terhune, OEA’s lobbyist. “He is very actively attempting to build bridges.”

Still, Terhune said Westlund will likely have to explain some of his earlier votes, including one on a teacher tenure bill that changed teachers from permanent employment status to a two-year employment contract.

Since August, Westlund has been to 12 local OEA councils throughout the state, said Stacey Dycus, his campaign manager.

“I think that part of the reason why the Democratic-leaning groups are more interested in Ben right now is that the Republican-leaning groups have some choices, with a contested primary that is interesting to them,” she said. “Some of those groups might reach out after the primary if their candidate of choice does not emerge.”

By contrast, she said, “I think that the interest that some of the union members have shown is a direct result of them not being happy with their choices.”

Though his relations with the state’s labor unions have cooled somewhat, Kulongoski did gain back some ground with public employees last summer, when he agreed to protections for their health and insurance benefits and a pay raise in a two-year contract.

“Senator Westlund has a voting record that is completely contrary to the priorities of the public sector unions,” said Cameron Johnson, Kulongoski’s campaign spokesman. “There is not a single issue on which Westlund has a better record than the governor with respect to public sector unions.”

Joe DiNicola, the president of SEIU Local 503, said Westlund, “has been reaching out to workers in the state,” and praised the state Senator for being “very much in favor of funding education in the state of Oregon.”

Union members will also be looking for candidates who prioritize affordable health care, he said, and as a group will consider the intangible factor of “electability” — in other words, who has a realistic shot at winning in November.