CHALLENGER BIELE DENYING KAHN TRADITIONAL LABOR SUPPORT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- September 6, 2000

In the tight race for the State Legislative District 59B seat, Democratic challenger Brian T. Biele is depriving 28 year incumbent Representative Phyllis Kahn of some of the traditional support she has received from labor. For the first time in recent memory the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council has decided to not endorse Kahn but instead stay neutral in her contested primary race.

The Central Labor Union Council (CLUC), better recognized as the Minneapolis AFL-CIO, is comprised of the 144 AFL-CIO labor union locals in Minneapolis. Individual locals may or may not endorse as well, but the CLUC endorsement is the capstone endorsement. This year the CLUC has endorsed all eleven DFL State Representative candidates from Minneapolis save Phyllis Kahn and one other. The other candidate is an incumbent with no primary challenger and who will likely be endorsed soon after Labor Day anyway. Kahn, on the other hand, is in her first primary battle in 16 years and sought early support, screened and was denied endorsement weeks ago.

One example of Kahn's union woes is the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council's endorsement of Kahn's challenger, Brian T. Biele. The group, which represents 33 of the 144 CLUC locals, interviewed both Kahn and Biele in August and decided to endorse Biele over Kahn. Some other CLUC locals have also abandoned their long time support for Kahn. For instance, AFSCME, the largest public employees' union and a consistent supporter of Kahn, voted to remain neutral in the race.

It was because of the lack of agreement among the AFL-CIO unions that the Central Labor Union Council decided to not endorse anyone in District 59B prior to the DFL primary on September 12. A knowledgeable source reports that there was a majority of support for Brian Biele on the Council but that it was not unanimous. The teachers supported Kahn and out of respect for the teachers the other locals did not press for a Biele endorsement.

Outside the ranks of the AFL-CIO, Biele has gained the endorsements of the largest union in Minnesota, the Minnesota Teamsters D.R.I.V.E. Joint Council and their 45,000 members and 15,000 retirees, the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. All three have endorsed Kahn in past years.

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