Labor Party (United States)

Infobox_American_Political_Party
party_name = Labor Party
party_articletitle = Labor Party (United States)
party_
chairman = Mark Dudzic
senateleader = None
houseleader = None
foundation = 1996
ideology = Social democracy; Progressivism
fiscalpolicy = Center-left
socialpolicy = Center-left
international = None
colors = Blue and Red
headquarters = Washington, D.C
website = http://www.thelaborparty.org/
footnotes =

The United States Labor Party is a social democratic political party advocating workers' interests. Membership is around 5,000.

The party was formed in 1996 by the United Mine Workers, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, American Federation of Government Employees, California Nurses Association and hundreds of other local labor unions. This organization allied itself with the Green Party of Wyoming in 1998 to field its first candidates for local and federal offices. It has not run candidates since (and never any outside of Wyoming), and the future of the party remains uncertain, particularly after the death of Tony Mazzocchi, the founding national organizer. All of the founding unions continued to actively support Democratic Party candidates.

In December 2005, the party announced that it would seek ballot status in South Carolina and run a candidate in the 2006 legislative elections. "Labor Party News" quotes Leonard Riley, President of the Charleston International Longshoremen's Association Local 1422 as saying, "Given the results of the past few elections, I think the workers of South Carolina would jump at the opportunity to consider a Labor Party which would guarantee an uncompromising voice for working people on their issues." [http://www.thelaborparty.org/n_1205.pdf] Although South Carolina law permits electoral fusion, the Labor Party has pledged not to endorse candidates of any other party.

Party officials acknowledged that the choice of South Carolina may seem unusual. The state has the second lowest concentration of union workers in the United States. However, party officials believe that the relatively high unemployment rate, the decline in the textile industry, and the indifference of the state Democratic and Republican parties to the interests of working people, African-Americans and women create a political space for the Labor Party. [ [http://www.thelaborparty.org/a_orange.html Labor Party ] ] The party submitted 16,500 signatures on July 11, 2006. If 10,000 of the signatures are valid, the party will be qualified for the 2007 and 2008 elections. [http://www.ballot-access.org/2006/080106.html#16 "Labor Party launches petition drive to gain ballot access", South Carolina Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, S.C.] This effort is apparently unrelated to the concurrent attempt of the Working Families Party to gain ballot access in South Carolina, a state that allows electoral fusion. [ [http://www.ballot-access.org/2006/07/21/south-carolina-working-families-party-will-sue-to-get-on-2006-ballot/ Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » South Carolina Working Families Party Will Sue to Get on 2006 Ballot ] ]

ee also

*U.S. Labor Party - for the mid-1970s party run by Lyndon LaRouche which has no connections with the current Labor Party.
*Socialist Party USA
* List of political parties in the United States

External links

* [http://www.thelaborparty.org/ Official site]

References