Democratic party boots New Hampshire station from debate amid labor dispute

Saying it must stand up for the right of workers to organize, the Democratic National Committee on Friday said it will no longer include New Hampshire ABC affiliate WMUR as a co-sponsor in next week’s Democratic presidential primary debate.

The station, along with its parent company, Hearst Corporation, has decided not to begin a new round of negotiations with the IBEW Local 1228 union prior to next week’s debate. The union represents nearly two dozen workers in the station’s production department.

The dispute centers on pensions and whether the union members would be added to the station’s broader pension plan, and the Democratic party had taken a hard line in urging the station to enter into negotiations or risk losing its place as a debate sponsor.

With negotiations now at a standstill, the DNC now says WMUR will not be involved in the debate whatsoever.

“Regrettably, as a result of WMUR’s unwillingness to move forward on scheduling negotiations … we will no longer include WMUR as a co-sponsor of the debate, and their talent will not be participating in any way,” the DNC and the New Hampshire Democratic party said in a joint statement. “The right for workers to form and organize a union is a key principle of the Democratic Party, and is key to ensuring the economic safety of the American people by protecting their rights and benefits. It is the right to organize that made it possible for the middle class in America to grow over the past century, and it is as important today as it has ever been to keep our economic growth as a nation moving forward.”