Clinton after union vote at Labor Day Picnic

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa- Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spent much of Labor Day in Eastern Iowa looking for support from labor unions.

The stops included union picnics or salute to labor events in Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities and Burlington.

But unlike many political events during the caucus season, the visit to 1,500 to 2,000 union members at the Hawkeye Labor Council/AFL-CIO picnic at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids didn't include a standard campaign speech.

Rather, candidate Clinton spent nearly 45 minutes working the crowd, posing for pictures and answering individual questions one on one.

Politics are a tradition at the large union picnic in Cedar Rapids with local lawmakers typically helping serve lunch and setting up campaign booths to show their support.

But Presidential candidates aren't an every-Labor-Day occurrence. Sullivan Robertson was pondering what he might ask candidate Clinton if she stopped by his table.

'I guess I'd probably ask her what her feeling are on minimum wage and what her issues are as far as unions go,” he said.

Those willing to stand and wait in the heat and humidity inside the building got the chance to meet Clinton if only for a few seconds.

She slowly made her way along a line posing for photos every few feet and pulling someone out of the line so they could post together.

Former Linn County supervisor Jean Oxley, the first woman elected to that office, got some special attention from the candidate and a hug.

Linda Langston, a current Linn County Supervisor, said Clinton may have helped herself more with the one-by-one attention rather than a campaign speech.

'That's what people want in a state like Iowa, retail politics. Anyone can bring in a helicopter and talk to a big crowd. But it's a whole other thing to go out and shake hands and answer questions one on one,” Langston said.

Clinton made only a couple of comments the entire crowd could hear. At one point, she did grab a building public address microphone and told the crowd 'buy American products from American companies.”

That got a predictable roar from the union crowd.

Jerry Dennis, another union member who got close enough for a personal photo, said he appreciated the individual attention more than a speech.

'I'd rather see her do what she did today - shaking hands, talking to people and letting them know where she stands on certain things,” Dennis said.

Some at the Hawkeye Downs event said union membership may still be down from where it was 15 or 20 years ago. But the attention by Clinton shows union support and organization still matters when it comes to campaigning.

l Comments: (319) 368-8611; dave.franzman@kcrg.com