Guelph unions to be "King"-makers?

Organized labour groups in Guelph have announced that they'll be, for the most part, supporting the NDP's Tom King.  That gives Dion's Liberal candidate, Frank Valeriote, what may be a fatal body blow in his efforts to keep the Guelph riding from slipping out of their grasp.

NDP's King gets union bump
August 1, 2008
Jessica Smith
GUELPH

NDP candidate Tom King is campaigning for the federal byelection with the weight of labour behind him, while all of the candidates highlight the kind words of their more personal endorsements.

"The labour movement, or the labour council in Guelph, is supporting Tom King," said Terry O'Connor, president of the Guelph and District Labour Council and a member of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP).

"Union affiliates are going to try and get their membership, through letters and phone calls, get them out to work for Tom and get him elected," O'Connor added.

The CEP sent letters dated July 28 to Guelph-area union members promoting King, suggesting they volunteer with or make a donation to his campaign.

The Steelworkers local is not formally endorsing King, but asked its members at a membership meeting to support his campaign, said local Steelworkers president Margaret Carter, adding King and federal NDP Leader Jack Layton visited her union this week and have offered to assist them with their upcoming labour dispute with the University of Guelph.

Organized labour, thanks to Buzz Hardgrove, have been typically backing the Liberals in recent years in an effort to "Stop Harper".  But with this being a by-election situation, the Prime Ministership isn't up for grabs... and as such, organized labour is free to vote for their ideological preference, instead of voting for the "lesser of two evils", as they've put it while voting for the local Liberals.

With these public endorsements of the NDP in Guelph, this large block of voters could well swing the difference on who becomes Guelph's next Member of Parliament.