Obama backs union in Tesco fight

WASHINGTON Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has made his support of labor unions clear throughout his campaign, and the most recent example of this has him asking Tesco ceo Sir Terry Leahy to meet with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union over employment rights at its Fresh & Easy stores in the United States, according to reports.

Obama reportedly sent a letter to Leahy, whose United Kingdom-based Tesco is one of the largest retail companies in the world, asking him to meet with the union and other community groups to discuss the aforementioned labor issues. Obama had previously sent a letter to Fresh & Easy ceo Tim Mason. According to reports, requests by the union to meet with Tesco have gone unanswered.

The UFCW is upfront about its support of Obama. The union noted in a recent press release that "for the past five months, the UFCW has mobilized its 1.3 million members across the country to support Senator Obama’s candidacy, and his message of hope and change has struck a chord with UFCW members of all ages.  The UFCW will continue to mobilize, organize and energize our members to support Senator Obama and fight to regain the rights and protections that America’s workers have lost under the Bush Administration."