Who Will Look Out for Workers?

As President-elect Barack Obama considers appointments to major cabinet positions, word from Washington suggests that former Democrat leaders Dick Gephardt and David Bonior are being considered to head the Department of Labor.

Gephardt, of course, has long-standing ties to the union bosses. He was always a top recipient of Big Labor’s political largess as a member of the House of Representatives, and when Gephardt ran for President, most Big Labor bosses endorsed his run and over 800 union organizers were sent to Iowa to assist his campaign. He opposed the Right to Work and every other measure to bring accountability to the worker-union boss relationship.

As bad as Gephardt is for workers, Bonior could be worse — if that is possible.