So the local umbrella branch of the AFL-CIO, the San Diego Imperial – Counties Labor Council, is considering endorsing Steve Francis for mayor.
A friend just pointed me to this passage in a 2005 story in Union-Tribune written by Phil LaVelle, the former ace political reporter. It was a story largely about Francis’ past and his record as a Nevada state legislator. He served in the Nevada Assembly from 1982 until 1987.
Like most legislators of the day, Francis, then a manager at Caesars Palace, supported the Nevada Resort Association, the lobbying arm of the hotel-gaming industry, by far the state’s leading employer. His votes earned the enduring enmity of the Nevada AFL-CIO. “Steve had a poor record for working people, to say the least,” said Danny Thompson, who served with Francis in the Assembly and is now executive secretary-treasurer of the Nevada AFL-CIO. “He was a vigorous opponent of working people. You name it, he was against it.”
Francis said in response: “Labor unions in San Diego are mild and soft in comparison to labor unions in Nevada. . . . When the unions go too far you have to have the guts to say no.”