Politicians woo labor at picnic

The Labor Day picnic at Boggy Bottom Ranch was the place to be Monday for those with political aspirations in the bay area.

By KATHRYN WEXLER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 4, 2001

PLANT CITY -- They all came calling Monday, trudging down the dirt path like so many pilgrims headed for a dusty, sun-scorched shrine to barbecue chicken and opportunity.

As it does every year, Labor Day at Boggy Bottom Ranch drew several thousand union members from the Tampa Bay area and beyond for a picnic held by the West Central Florida Federation of Labor. On this, the 107th annual Labor Day, most just wanted to trade a day's worth of toil for snow cones, beer and a Charlie Daniels Band song or two.

But, as it also does each year, the event brought out a different sort with an altogether different agenda: the elected, the appointed and the aspiring.

Politicos know the value of a union endorsement. And while union screening committees are a year away from throwing their weight behind a select few candidates, the annual Labor Day picnic is something of a must-do for anyone who hopes to be someone with power.

Milling around the T-shirt booth was former Hillsborough Chief Circuit Judge F. Dennis Alvarez. Might he be considering a run for mayor, perhaps?

"We're looking at it," Alvarez said. "That's why we're here." Others of note who turned out: gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride and his possible competitor Jim Davis; state Sen. Les Miller; state Reps. Bob Henriquez and Arthenia Joyner; Hillsborough Circuit judges Robert Simms and Ralph Goddard; Hillsborough County commissioners Pat Frank and Thomas Scott; Tampa City Council members Bob Buckhorn and Charlie Miranda; and St. Petersburg City Councilman Jay Lasita.

Unions have seen their membership plummet since their heyday in 1945, before the service industry outstripped manufacturing jobs. Florida union officials partly blame falling numbers on the state's constitutional guarantee of a right to work, which forbids employees from being compelled to join a union as a condition of keeping their jobs.

But Monday, labor's was the most precious vote around.

"The labor unions represent a lot of working people, and it's a great opportunity to meet people and talk to old friends," said Pam Iorio, Hillsborough supervisor of elections, who is said to be considering a run for Tampa mayor in 2002.

Most of the candidates working the crowds were Democrats, who have always relied on organized labor for support. But what the candidates want most is to impress union screening committee officials, said Bob Temple, political action committee chair for the United Steel Workers of America retirees in Tampa.

"They're trying to get the votes of the officers of different organized committees," Temple said.

Being a no-show won't necessarily hurt a candidate, said Jerry Cain, executive director and picnic chair for the West Central Federation of Labor, the regional affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

But can an appearance help?

"It could," Cain said with a smile. "That's an unknown."

At midafternoon, hundreds sat at picnic tables in an open-air pavilion before a stage where a disc jockey spun tunes and directed children's games. The total attendance was expected to reach 4,000 or 5,000, organizers said.

Every so often, Cain took the microphone and read out the name of a circling politician. The candidates were welcome to shake hands and break bread with the crowds -- but not, as Cain emphasized, take the stage and stump.

"I can't let each person get up here or they'd be up there all day," said Cain, who has organized the annual picnic for 25 years.

Well, maybe just one.

"I'm longtime friends with Bill," Cain explained, as Bill McBride, a Tampa attorney and gubernatorial candidate, was ushered onstage. "I've been coming here so many years," McBride said. Some wiped their hands and looked up. A few cheered. But not everyone. About 50 feet from the stage stood Darrell Casteel, a janitor with Local 108.

"I was a taxi driver for 14 years," Casteel said to Barry Wilkins, a Verizon employee with Local 824 who was standing nearby.

McBride continued: "I'll invite every single one of you to come to Tallahassee for the inauguration!"

Said Casteel, never once glancing at the politician, "There's no future in it. . . ."

-- Kathryn Wexler can be reached at (813) 226-3383.

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