As presidential candidates continue to stump the state to garner support in the 2004 Iowa Democratic precinct caucuses to be held Jan. 19, a number of politically active groups are hard at work to educate their members, endorse candidates and register voters. Among them is the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, a coalition of unions that serves as the Iowa affiliate of the national AFL-CIO. Mark Smith, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, spoke with the Des Moines Business Record about the group’s political activism and how it informs its members about the issues and positions of candidates.  

Q: How do you educate your members about candidates and issues?

A: We mail an eight-page newsletter to about 75,000 people four times a year, telling them about candidates’ views. About two weeks ago, we hosted a forum of six Democratic presidential candidates who spoke with our members about health care, trade and the economy. We’ll publicize the responses in our newsletter. Our members are bright, so it’s a matter of getting information out to them.

Q: When will your national group endorse a candidate for the Democratic nomination?

A: Sometime in October. It takes a two-thirds majority vote to endorse someone. So far, various parts of the national organization have endorsed [Rep. Dick] Gephardt. But it won’t matter who the candidate is because this administration isn’t taking care of working people.

Q: Does your group consciously endorse one political party over another?

A: We’ve sided with people who have supported our candidates and our issues. Those have tended to be Democrats. Twenty-five years ago, Republicans sided with us on the same issues, but those people are few and far between.

Q: How much political clout does the national AFL-CIO have?

A: We represent about 12 percent of labor workers nationally, but during the 2000 presidential election, we accounted for about 26 percent of the vote, more than twice what our numbers are for participants. In the 2002 election, we had about 75 percent of our members registered, but only 60 percent voted, so there’s still room for improvement because some don’t participate at all.

Q: How do you help register voters?

A: We have a program for our members to register by mail or by phone. We tell them their vote does matter, and that if you don’t participate, you’re not taking full advantage of your right to create a quality of life for your kids and grandkids.

Q: Is the Iowa Federation of Labor pressed to be politically active due to the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus status?

A: It puts a special obligation on us. There’s an opportunity in Iowa to raise questions that people across the country are asking for. So it’s a valuable exercise to help formulate or drive an agenda.