those union voters who hunt cast ballots for Bush in 2000 because of his opposition to gun control. "They’re not as concerned about their guns this time. They’re more concerned about their jobs," says Vincent Panvini, political director of the sheet metal workers’ union.

Many building trades members are veterans and most describe themselves as patriotic. But a growing number "are pretty mad about Iraq," says McGarvey. He notes that Eric Orlowski, a member of painters’ union Local 660 in Buffalo, N.Y., serving as a Marine reservist, was one of the first casualties in Iraq. Plumbers’ union President Martin J. Maddaloni says workers are concerned about the high cost of the war and who is going to pay for it.

FIRM GRIP Sheet metal workers in the swing state of Nevada come out to support Democratic candidate Kerry.

Another high-profile issue is the continuing trend of sending manufacturing jobs overseas. "For every manufacturing plant that is closed, we lose jobs building and maintaining facilities," says Maddaloni. Joseph J. Hunt, president of the ironworkers’ union, says that pension reform for multi-employer plans is important for both his members and the union’s contractors. In meetings with Kerry, Hunt says the candidate has pledged to consider changes for multi employer plans that were omitted this year when Congress passed legislation that granted relief for single employer pension programs.

Not all of the 15 building trades unions are backing the Democratic ticket. For now, the carpenters’ union and the operating engineers’ union have yet to endorse either candidate. But the relationship between carpenters’ President Douglas J. McCarron and the Bush White House has sent many tongues wagging across organized labor. Putting the issues in front of the president is the focus, insists McCarron, who adds that if he calls the White House with a concern his telephone call is returned. "I think that is positive," says McCarron. "When I explain our relationship to the [carpenters’] delegates, they understand it. The president has a lot of power. A lot of the building trades people don’t understand that." McCarron describes himself as a lifelong Democrat, but says bipartisanship is necessary. "You get more with honey than vinegar," he adds.

The carpenters’ union could still back a presidential candidate. At a routine meeting of its council leadership scheduled for Sept. 15-16, carpenters will look at the presidential race with a "possibility" of making an endorsement, McCarron says. Operating engineers’ President Frank Hanley declined to discuss his union’s position for this article. A spokesman says the operating engineers educate their members and encourage them "to vote for candidates who support our issues."

All of the unions insist they do not tell their workers which candidates to vote for in the presidential contest or in the congressional races. But many take creative steps to encourage a vote for a particular candidate. Some ironworker locals have "adopted" a local in a battleground state. For example, members in New York may send handwritten postcards to ironworkers in Ohio that declare the importance of the New Yorker’s vote, but that it is even more important for the worker in Ohio to vote. The brief notes, usually written at a union meeting, are sent to a worker’s home. The postcards have been met with "a warm response from the locals," says Hunt.

Workers also respond to the "personal" contact even if it takes the form of a message left on a telephone answering machine. Hunt and Edwin D. Hill, president of the electrical workers’ union, have each recorded messages that are delivered to a member’s phone. The message, often sent to a worker identified as an undecided voter, tells them they will soon be receiving an important mailing. After the information is sent, a follow-up call is made by a phone bank volunteer.

Workers "tend to perk up and listen," when they hear their union president on the phone, says a spokesman for the electrical workers. Hunt was recently greeted by a member tickled to get a call from the president. "It’s been more effective than I thought," he says. He’ll have to make a few more calls between now and election day to see if the tactics make a difference in a tight race.