Obama, Oprah and unions for one

This weekend, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is giving crowds in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, the biggest of big O’s– Oprah Winfrey. And even though she isn’t handing out cars, the crowds, so far, are swooning. Still, given that Democratic primaries are one of the arenas in which unions really matter, you have to wonder if it’s a good idea to have as your top celebrity buddy an anti-union media mogul. Because Oprah only works with unions that work on behalf of people named Oprah.

From Backtalk at Reel Chicago.com, a site about TV and movie productions in Oprah’s hometown, we learn,

In the case of Oprah, she belongs to three different craft unions herself (as a performer), yet refuses to allow union representation of any sort inside the doors of her studio, instead paying substandard wages and benefits to non-union crews.

Whether Oprah’s small-screen saintliness will obliterate all qualms union voters may feel about someone who believes in Solidarity Forever for Me, Solidarity Never for the People Who Work for Me, remains to be seen.

Tags: anti-union, Barack Obama, celebrities, Democratic primaries, iowa, New Hampshire, Oprah, Reel Chicago.com, South Carolina, unions