NH union members knocking on doors in anti-McCain effort

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Union members knocked on doors in New Hampshire this weekend to urge fellow union families not to vote for John McCain.

More than 100 union volunteers visited union families in Manchester and Hooksett to say McCain has a poor record on economic issues that are important to working families.

They planned to talk with almost 2,500 union voters on Saturday and eventually reach 16,000 union voters in New Hampshire at home, work and by phone.

"Volunteers will focus on McCain's health care proposals, highlighting his intent to tax employer-based health care, which would elevate costs and drastically reduce coverage," the AFL-CIO said in a statement. "McCain's plan also would push workers into the private market to fight big insurance companies on their own."

McCain's campaign played down the union comments.

"The AFL-CIO's efforts are more about partisan politics than any interest in working families," said campaign spokesman Jeff Grappone. "We fully expect DC special interest groups and 527s (political groups) to try and distort John McCain's record of reforming Washington, but voters in New Hampshire know better."

Union families also plan to shadow McCain on any campaign visits to the state "to highlight the problems with his plans and policies."