California labor leaders take aim at Schwarzenegger

By Marty Graham

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – California labor leaders announced a
campaign on Monday to defeat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
re-election bid, calling the former film star anti-worker and
beholden to big business.

The announcement touches off what could be a fierce
re-election fight for Schwarzenegger, who took office after
toppling Gray Davis, a Democratic governor with close ties to
union leaders.

Unions played an important role in the defeat of a series
of initiatives last year that Schwarzenegger cast as reforms
and workers groups saw as attempts to gut their power.

“We will find a suitable candidate and mobilize our people
to replace this governor,” said Art Pulaski, spokesman for the
AFL-CIO’s California Labor Federation. “We fear he will
continue to engage in attacks on workers in his planned next
term.”

In particular, Schwarzenegger enraged big labor in November
with a ballot measure that would have required public sector
unions to ask members before spending their dues on political
causes.

That initiative, known as Proposition 75, was defeated,
along with three other measures championed by Schwarzenegger.

Pulaski said the organization will choose and endorse one
of two Democratic candidates — Steve Westly, the state
controller, and State Treasurer Phil Angelides — at its
statewide pre-primary convention in March.

But keeping Schwarzenegger from a second term is already a
top priority.

“We don’t see a letup in terms of his hope to accomplish
what the Chamber of Commerce, big business and big donors
want,” Pulaski said. “He has twice vetoed a minimum wage
increase, he tried to get rid of meal breaks and overtime, and
he cut workers compensation benefits for the most seriously
injured workers in half.”

Katie Levinson, communications director for the Join Arnold
campaign, said that while the AFL-CIO announcement is no
surprise, it is unfortunate that the union has chosen to attack
the governor.

“Gov. Schwarzenegger has shown a strong, unwavering
commitment to working families, including creating a half
million new jobs and his ongoing commitment to rebuilding
California,” Levinson said.