SEIU Leader Defends Edwards

SEIU has not endorsed anyone yet, but Anna Burger, one of the top leaders at SEIU International is leaping to his defense, following the insinuations by the NYT that his poverty work was improperly motivated. Burger calls it "insulting to the workers around the country he's lent his tireless support to over the years." She has penned a piece for the Huffington Post on the subject.

Ask them what they think of Edwards' work on poverty, and they will tell you about the difference it's made in their lives. When 450 poverty-wage janitors went on a two-month strike in Miami for a better life for their families, Edwards didn't hesitate to offer his support. When Edwards was asked to join the hotel workers campaign, he rolled up his sleeves and made those workers' struggles his own. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he traveled to Louisiana not for a photo op, but to do real work for those affected. And he held a summit on the failed response to which I and other national leaders were invited to devise ways to ensure the mistakes of the federal government were never repeated.

Burger sounds personally offended by the NYT article, which the Edwards team has been aggressively pushing back on.

To call into question the motivation of a person who has done so much to advance the cause of workers is unwarranted and unjust. Voters have a right to reject or support a candidate based on the facts. My union, SEIU, hasn't endorsed a candidate yet because we feel strongly that it's still early and our members need time to evaluate where the candidates stand. But voters can't make an informed opinion when reporters focus their efforts on trying to raise controversy where there is none.

Edwards efforts to woo the support of labor is paying off. He may not have an endorsement, but he has vocal backup.