AFL-CIO envisions forming ‘super labor PAC’

“The essential idea is that changes in the law for the first time really allow the labor movement to speak directly to workers, whether they have collective bargaining agreements or not,’’ AFL-CIO political director Michael Podhorzer said.

“Before, most political resources went to our own membership.’’

Labor leaders discussed the plan at the AFL-CIO executive council meetings earlier this month, but officials said that the idea remains subject to final approval over the next few weeks.

Both GOP- and Democratic-leaning superPACs have flourished since a landmark 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited cash in support of, or against, candidates for elected office.

The superPACs must operate independently of candidates.

More than 100 superPACs have sprouted since the high court’s decision and are expected to play a major role in the 2012 elections.

Unions remain a pillar of the Democratic Party, spending about $400 million to help elect Barack Obama president in 2008 and directing another $200 million to help Democrats during the 2010 midterm elections.

Obama to speak in Detroit at annual Labor Day event WASHINGTON - President Obama will travel to Detroit on Sept. 5 to speak at the city’s annual Labor Day festivities.

The White House says Obama will speak at an event sponsored by the Metro Detroit Central Labor Council.

It will be Obama’s second trip to Michigan in a month. He visited a battery plant in Holland, Mich., on Aug. 11.

Obama has touted his administration’s work to rescue General Motors and Chrysler, which are both based in the Detroit area.

Chaffetz won’t challenge Senate incumbent Hatch SALT LAKE CITY - Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah said yesterday that he would seek a third term in Congress instead of challenging incumbent and fellow Republican Senator Orrin Hatch.

The decision comes after Chaffetz, one of Congress’s most conservative members, hinted for months that he planned to challenge Hatch. He revealed the decision during a news conference on the University of Utah campus.