Trouble in Paradise; DNC getting pusback from Big Labor

At least 12 trade unions will boycott the Democratic National Convention in part because of its location -- Charlotte, North Carolina.  Apparently, North Carolina and 21 other states are on a union blacklist because they are Right to Work states.  The states are far from union-free, its just workers can't be forced to pay to a union boss. But in addition to locating in North Carolina, union bosses have "broad frustration" with President Obama and the Democrats in Congress.  Obama and the Democrats have given big labor everything they could but, of course, that is not enough. The Charlotte Observer has the story: CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Casting North Carolina as an anti-union bastion with “regressive policies aimed at diluting the power of workers,” more than a dozen trade unions affiliated with the national AFL-CIO have told the Democratic National Committee that they will sit out the 2012 convention in Charlotte, N.C. Coming on the heels of some liberals’ complaints that President Barack Obama is giving in to Republicans, the unions’ decision is another sign that key Democratic allies are unhappy with Obama and other party leaders as they gear up for a difficult election season. It’s also a signal that anything relating to Charlotte — from its besieged hometown bank to its lack of unionized hotels — will face scrutiny as the city eases into the national spotlight. Labor unions have long played an integral role in Democratic conventions. And some big ones, including the National Education Association and the Service Employees International Union, still plan to be active participants when the Democrats come to Charlotte in 2012. Local and state labor leaders also are still on board. The N.C. AFL-CIO helped lobby for Charlotte to be the convention site. On Friday, a leader of the Raleigh-based labor group called the national unions’ decision understandable, but “shortsighted.”