AFL-CIO

There is considerable speculation that New Jersey Building Trades Council President Bill Mullen is weighing a bid for New Jersey AFL-CIO President against longtime incumbent Charles Wowkanech. Wowkanech has been feuding with a substantial wing of the state Democratic Party since last year after he backed some Republican legislative candidates in some hotly contested races. Mullen is viewed as a potentially strong challenger to Wowkanech, if he decides to make the race.

The New Jersey AFL-CIO, which said today that they are neutral in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, is not expected to make any endorsement before the June 3 primary because neither Frank Lautenberg nor Rob Andrews can get the two-thirds majority needed to win the formal backing of the union.  This reflects poorly on the state AFL-CIO President, Charles Wowkanech, who prematurely announced support of Lautenberg yesterday. 

N.J. AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech with top Democrats in 2002.: Now that he's feuding with the Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, he couldn't get on a stage like that today.
When you pick the wrong horse in a harsh political battle, paybacks in politics are often extraordinarily difficult.  That’s what New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech is finding out, now that he is “persona non grata” with Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and the extended Roberts political organization. 

The Star-Ledger’s The Auditor had an important report on the Roberts/Wowknech feud last Sunday, and since that print version of that column sometimes differs from the online version, here are some excerpts worth noting, especially considering the players involved: