Jul 16, 2007 7:44 pm US/Central
Obama Joins Congress Hotel Picket Line
by Mike Flannery
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
U.S. senator and presidential contender Barack Obama took to the picket line in support of a long-running strike in Chicago.
As CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports, he also promised to deliver on one of big labor's biggest legislative goals.
Obama joined a picket line at a downtown hotel where a local union's been on strike for more than four years.
"The Congress Hotel has been a holdout," Obama said. "Four years ago, I marched. I'm marching today. I'll march four years from now."
Efrain Cortina was among about 30 original strikers who turned out Monday. He brought his 14-year old daughter, Yadira. His wages are about half what they were before the strike.
Obama promised the workers that, as president, he would try to rewrite labor law to make it easier for unions to organize new workers and make it harder for employers to break a strike.
"The strike has not crippled the business," said Peter Andjelkovich, attorney for the Congress Hotel. "And when a union walks out, those temporary jobs for people to come to work and they line up outside to get those jobs."
While some union members have complained that Mayor Daley should do more to force the hotel's owners to put the strikers back to work, he said today that he's done everything legally permissible.
"We cannot violate the law," Daley said. "You cannot violate federal or state law just because you don't like the owner."
The hotel's attorney said that it passed city code inspections with flying colors.
Obama said no election should be needed for a union to represent workers. It should simply need to get a majority of signatures from workers.
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