by Jim Kouri - The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is urging the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to seat, and accord full voting rights, to delegates from Florida and Michigan at the Democratic National Convention in August.

"Our primary objective should be winning the White House with a Democratic nominee who cares about working families and the issues that affect their lives," said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. "And we cannot achieve that goal if the Florida and Michigan delegations are not seated."

In a letter to DNC Chairman Howard Dean and members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, Buffenbarger outlines the importance delegates from Florida and Michigan will play in November's general election, especially given the historic advantage Republican nominee John McCain will hold in the Mountain, Great Plains and Midwestern states. (Full text of the letter is available at http://www.goiam.org).

Factoring in additional advantages in Southern and Border states, McCain could start the Fall campaign with 261 electoral votes locked away, just nine short of the number needed to win the White House.

"We cannot win the White House by disenfranchising 2.3 million Democratic primary voters in Michigan and Florida," said Buffenbarger. "That is not a casual statement. It is based on the 2004 election results and the harsh realities we face in amassing 270 Electoral College votes."

The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting May 31 to make a decision on the status of the Florida and Michigan delegations.

The IAM is among the nation's largest trade unions, representing nearly 720,000 active and retired members in manufacturing, aerospace, shipbuilding, transportation and defense-related industries.