BANNING, May 24 (UPI) -- An American Indian leader in California has accused a labor union of steering Democratic presidential candidates away from a reservation debate this summer.
Kalyn Free of the Indigenous Democratic Network, said the union Unite Here is pressuring Democratic candidates to skip an Aug. 23 "Prez on the Rez" debate on the Morongo Indian Reservation because of an ongoing dispute over efforts to organize the reservation's casino, The Los Angeles Times reported.
"Tribal leaders are going to remember who came to 'Prez on the Rez' and, more importantly, who didn't," Free told the Times.
Two candidates, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, have said they will attend the debate at the Morongo casino-resort near Banning.
A union official denied the allegation.
"I'm aware that there may be a Democratic presidential candidate or two who is concerned about the ongoing struggle in California over enforceable workers rights. However, to say that Unite Here has specifically asked that candidates not attend is not true," Jack Gribbon, the union's California political director, told the Times.
