“There’s not a single good reason for any worker, especially a union member, to vote against Barack Obama,” said American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka in a speech for the United Steel Worker’s Union. “But there’s only one really, really bad reason to vote against Barack Obama, and that’s because he’s not white.” Many blue-collar workers have expressed distrust in Senator Obama, often citing both his race and Ivy League education as reasons. These strong sentiments have caused some former Hillary Clinton supporters to consider voting for McCain in the presidential election. In an attempt to win over undecided union voters, Obama canvassers have emphasized the state of the economy over the Democratic candidate’s race. “Obama polls higher among white union workers than whites in general,” said assistant professor of political science and former union organizer Maria Rosales. “But conscious and unconscious racism and misconceptions about Obama could be the reason why 30 percent of union workers typically vote Republican, but in this election it has jumped to 40 percent.” In battleground states, union voters could be vital to the outcome of the election. Both Obama and Senator John McCain are vigorously trying to appeal to this important demographic. In order to attract union votes, Obama has built his campaign largely around the message that with unemployment rising, an economy failing, and gasoline and food prices soaring, America cannot afford to elect another Republican. Simultaneously, McCain in last week’s presidential debate sought to arouse blue-collar workers who could be potential victims of Obama’s tax plan by citing “Joe the Plumber” as someone from the middle class whose taxes will be hiked under an Obama/Biden presidency. Obama’s strong appeal to the middle class, combined with eight years of Republican economic policy, has led many unions, including the five-million member Change to Win coalition, to endorse him. In spite of the endorsement of all major unions, Obama’s race remains a strong factor when appealing to blue-collar voters, complicating labor efforts. According to the International Herald Tribune, Karen Ackerman, the AFL-CIO’s political director said, “We’re very conscious of the fact that many voters have never voted for an African-American for any office. For some voters, including union voters, particularly older voters, there is reluctance.” According to the Workers Independent News, in order to appeal to these hesitant voters, the AFL-CIO is launching a new campaign reaching out to over a million union swing voters. The campaign centers on McCain’s proposal to tax employer-based health care benefits and privatize Medicare. The effort is targeted at battleground states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

“I don’t think we ought to be out there pointing fingers and calling them racist,” said Trumka towards the end of his speech. “Instead we need to educate (union members). If they care about holding their jobs, if they care about health care, if they care about good pensions and their homes, if they care about creating jobs with clean energy, child care, pay equity for women workers, then there’s only one candidate on the ballot that falls on that side . and that candidate’s Barack Obama.