Several Unions Line Up Behind Emanuel
(CBS) -- Many labor unions that fought Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel four years ago are now supporting his re-election.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports on the turnaround.
It's about jobs, pure and simple, and not patronage jobs that used to power political campaigns. These are jobs created by a long-overdue renovation of the city's infrastructure.
One after another trade labor union leaders on Thursday boosted the mayor's re-election effort. Their words backed up significant campaign contributions.
"Today, 15 unions are now supporting the candidacy and embracing change and seeing the opportunity that's here," the mayor said.
Primary opponent Willie Wilson, an African American, said not everyone has benefited from that change and opportunity.
"If you drive down to the African-American community and you look at the construction, you don't see us there," he said.
Unavailable for comment Thursday was Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, the choice of the Chicago Teachers Union, who some had called the labor candidate.
Emanuel addressed the City Club of Chicago about union members he's put to work all over the city -- on water and sewer projects, street resurfacing, building new parks and renovating mass transit.
It's no accident that union members put to work by all those public works projects are now backing his re-election.
Emanuel badly needs the support because even though some polls show he has more than double the support of his nearest competitor, it's still short of the 50 percent plus one he needs next month to avoid a head to head contest in April.