The Union Label.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)

Labor Day: It isn't what it used to be. But then, neither

are labor unions. They seem to be focused less on looking out for workers than on politicking for old friends.

In comments last week, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney sounded like a functionary for the Democratic Party. He bristled that the Bush "administration's record has been the worst for working families in decades." Then he backed up that claim with Democratic talking points.

The White House, Sweeney gravely said, has refused "to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Instead, they drained off the surplus that had been built through working people's productivity to give a trillion dollar tax cut to the wealthiest Americans."

Sure, labor leaders have been aligned with the Democrats for decades. But if Sweeney cared about the pay, working conditions and job opportunities for workers today, he'd do well to distance himself from his old crowd and take a hard look at how policies affect average Americans.

Take that federal budget surplus and the Medicare prescription drug benefit touted by Sweeney. How high are they on the list of priorities for working families? Would the drug benefit muster much support if politicians fully explained how it would affect the taxes all wage earners pay?

Then there's that old "tax cut to the wealthiest Americans" nonsense. Yes, the wealthy surely will benefit from the Bush tax cut. But let's not forget that the wealthy often are the folks who ...