Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Obama intervenes in labor dispute

|
|
 
  
U.S. Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, has asked British supermarket chain Tesco to reconsider its policy on not dealing with U.S. unions. (File photo dated June 10, 2008.) (UPI Photo/Pool) 
Published: June 25, 2008 at 1:13 PM

LONDON, June 25 (UPI) -- Sen. Barack Obama has asked the head of a British-based supermarket chain to reconsider its policy of not dealing with labor unions in the United States.

The presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential nominee made the request in a letter to Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy just two days before the company's annual stockholders meeting, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

"I urge you to reconsider your policy of non-engagement in the United States and advise your executives at Fresh & Easy to meet with the UFCW (United Food & Commercial Workers Union) and other community groups," Obama wrote.

The newspaper says the letter to Leahy is the second one that Obama has sent to the supermarket chain and comes just three weeks after the union told Tesco it would seek Obama's help.

The United Food & Commercial Workers has been trying to meet with Tesco representatives for the past two years.

An earlier Obama letter was sent to Tesco's U.S. chief, Tim Mason.

Recommended Stories
© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
Note to the youngsters out there: if a legend dies and you want to sneak into his or her inner sanctum...
You don't have to be too smart to coach high school sports. Just smart enough to not post nude photos...
There's vandalizing your school, and then there's doing a million dollars damage to your school
Police say Taylor Burnham, 18, was only wearing cowboy boots as she led police on a Sunday morning...
If you're working as a dog groomer and accidentally chop off a dog's ear, don't try to glue it back,...
After a two-year sting operation, the Feds shut down ... an Amish farm. Another victory in the war...