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Labor suspends its opposition to Denver

Union support an issue in bid to host Dems convention

Daniel J. Chacón, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 2, 2006 at midnight

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Organized labor has suspended its opposition to Denver's bid to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention, possibly elevating the city's chances against Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York.

In a unanimous vote this week, the Denver Area Labor Federation "laid over" a resolution adopted in April opposing the bid, said Leslie Moody, the federation's president.

The federation, which represents more than 70,000 members, raised objections to the bid over Denver's lack of unionized hotels. The group also contended that elected Democrats weren't doing enough to support workers forming unions in hotels and other businesses in the region.

"They had been very unresponsive to supporting workers organizing" at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, Moody said. "That was what really put this over the top initially."

But Moody said that Democratic leaders, including Bill McMullen, of the Regional Transportation District, and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, have reached out to the federation.

"It gave us the opportunity to say we have enough hope for some of the folks who are in office that we can at least set aside our frustration for awhile to help get through this process of putting the bid together," she said.

Debbie Willhite, a veteran of national political campaigns and executive director of the Denver 2008 Host Committee, said she welcomed the reprieve.

"We're working carefully together to see if we can reach some cooperation so that they can support our bid," she said.

Willhite said there are sections of the bid that "needed clarification and some amending," though she declined to go into specifics.

"You don't negotiate in public," she said. "This isn't Texas hold 'em."

Moody, however, said most of the issues now revolve around providing theatrical and stage employees "the high union standard."

Denver, which hosted its only national political convention in 1908, is the only city vying for the party convention without a union hotel.

"Is it possible for us to get the convention without labor support? It's possible," Willhite said. "Everything's possible, but it would not be ideal. It's not the way we want to go forward in this process, and it certainly makes our proposal weaker without their support."

Damien LaVera, a DNC spokesman, declined to comment about the effect of the federation's decision.

"But just in general, we've said all along that good labor relations (are) an important consideration in the process for selecting the next host city," he said.

Willhite said she was optimistic that organized labor in Denver would endorse the city's bid.

"It is my hope that through working with various unions we can have a vote to have (the April resolution) rescinded and have an affirmative statement . . . in support of the convention," she said.

By the numbers

70,000 members are represented by the Denver Area Labor Federation.

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