Gov. Beverly Perdue helped Teamsters president James P. Hoffa dedicate a renovated union hall in Greensboro over the weekend.

The governor showed up for the dedication of the offices of Teamsters Local 391, which had been heavily damaged during storms last year, Rob Christensen reports.

Perdue told the 400 people attending the event about her visit to an unemployment office in Raleigh, where she chatted with people who have lost their jobs during the recession.

Perdue was elected last year with significant support from organized labor.

"Clearly the governor gets a lot of requests (for public appearances,)" said Rob Black, a spokesman for Local 391. "The fact that she honored the Teamsters is testament that we have worked with her since since her days in the state Senate. Our working relationship goes back a long way."

In an historical footnote, Hoffa’s father, former Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, dedicated the grand opening of the building in 1962.

Labor spending on state races more than doubled since the 2004 elections.

According to campaign finance reports, six unions spent about $2.2 million on contributions and independent expenditures for campaigns for state office in 2004.

That's less than half the $4.7 million spent this year.

Here's a breakdown:

Service Employees International Union: $1.5 million

N.C. Association of Educators: $272,803

International Brotherhood of Teamsters: $198,150

National Education Association: $149,000

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: $40,000

State Employees Association of N.C.: $35,059

N.C. chapter of the AFL-CIO: $8,000

UNITE HERE: $5,000

United Auto Workers: $600

Sen.-elect Kay Hagan received $199,000 from unions in 2008.

The Greensboro Democrat received donations from 29 political action committees affiliated with labor unions during her run for the Senate, according to federal campaign finance reports.

Top donors included the Teamsters, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, United Food and Commercial Workers, the International Association of Firefighters and the Communications Workers of America, which each gave $10,000.

She also received significant donations from the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the United Transportation Union. 

Change to Win, a federation of unions including the Teamsters, also made robocalls on Hagan's behalf, and the SEIU and the UFCW donated to Majority Action, which ran ads attacking Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

How much did labor groups spend in 2008?

We're still working through the campaign finance reports, but here are the numbers Dome has collected so far on spending in state races by unions and employee associations:

National Education Association: $1,935,703

Service Employees International Union: $1,810,569

International Brotherhood of Teamsters: $334,117

N.C. Association of Educators: $267,230

State Employees Association of N.C.: $194,800

United Food and Commercial Workers Union: $116,500

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: $41,500

Communications Workers of America: $18,750

UNITE HERE: $16,500

United Auto Workers: $9,000

N.C. Chapter of the AFL-CIO: $4,000

That adds up to $4.7 million for the 2008 cycle. However, it does not take into account money given by unions to groups such as the Democratic Governors Association, which also spent heavily here.

It also does not include spending in the U.S. Senate race.

The Teamsters spent $334,117 on North Carolina races in 2008.

The DRIVE political action committee of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters gave to 37 candidates for state offices, including eight running for Council of State positions, according to campaign finance reports.

The largest individual recipients were state Treasurer-elect Janet Cowell, who received $8,067, and unsuccessful labor commissioner candidate Mary Fant Donnan, who received $6,000. Both positions are considered important to labor, with the treasurer overseeing the state pension fund.

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, Lt. Gov.-elect Walter Dalton and primary rival Hampton Dellinger, Attorney General Roy Cooper, Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall also received significant donations.

The Teamsters also gave $202,500 to the N.C. Democratic Party, $30,000 to the Democratic Senate Caucus and $15,000 to the Democratic House Caucus and made small donations to the Carolina Drive Chapter 1, Hear Our Public Employees and the Wake County Democratic Party.

They also gave $13,000 total to 11 incumbent senators, including Senate leaders Tony Rand and Marc Basnight and Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger; and $20,000 total to 18 incumbent representatives, including Speaker Joe Hackney.

Berger was the only Republican and Donnan the only challenger to an incumbent to receive donations.

Update: Figures updated to include two last-minute donations to the Democratic Party. 

Three major labor leaders are based in North Carolina.

Though the state has historically not been considered friendly to labor, it has produced three leaders of major national unions in recent years:

John Wilson: A former Raleigh teacher, Wilson worked his way up the ranks of the N.C. Association of Educators, serving as president and executive director. Now executive director of the National Education Association, he has ties to Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue.

Jack Cipriani: After moving to North Carolina in 1975, Cipriani was a shop steward at Miller Brewing and now serves as Eastern Region vice president of the Teamsters. Gov. Mike Easley appointed him to the state's Employment Security Commission.

Chris Chafe: The Carrboro resident began organizing textile mills, eventually heading UNITE HERE and advising John Edwards' presidential campaign. Earlier this year, he was appointed executive director of Change to Win, a coalition of labor unions.

The three may be as much a symptom as a cause of increased labor activity in North Carolina, since their experience in traditionally hostile territory dovetails nicely with an increased emphasis on offense by national unions.

The Change to Win Federation said Kay Hagan will help workers.

In a statement e-mailed to Dome, Teamster Local 391 president Jack Cipriani said that recent robocalls are in support of the Democratic Senate candidate: 

"Change to Win and its affiliates — like my union, the Teamsters — are working aggressively to elect Kay Hagan to the United States Senate this November. Hagan is committed to keeping good jobs in America by promoting trade policies that stop the shipping of jobs overseas. We are running a robust mail, phone and canvass program to contact members across the state to spread the message that Kay Hagan is the best candidate for working families in North Carolina, and across America." 

Beverly Perdue received $9.9 million in donations by the end of June of 2008.

The Democratic gubernatorial nominee raised $2.3 million from donors in the second quarter of 2008, according to a report filed with the State Board of Elections.

Major donors included Belk stores president Tom Belk; Erskine Bowles' wife Crandall; her sons, Emmett and Garrett; Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand; Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers; retiree Wallace Hyde; attorney David Kirby; SAS executive John Sall; and Bill Graham's law partner, Mona Lisa Wallace.

She also raised $223,436 from political action committees, including the Association for Home & Hospice Care of N.C., Blue Cross and Blue Shield's Employee PAC, the Corning Inc. Employee PAC, the Democratic Governors Association of N.C., the Teamsters' DRIVE PAC, the International Paper PAC, the McGuire Woods PAC, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers PAC and the N.C. Home Builders Association.

In addition, she loaned her campaign $130,000 on April 25. In addition to a first quarter loan of $500,000 and outstanding debt of $275,000 to her husband from a previous election, her campaign owes $905,000.

She had cash on hand of $1.4 million at the end of the second quarter.

Correction: An earlier version misstated the cash on hand.

The N.C. Teamsters have endorsed Beverly Perdue.

The union, which represents 14,000 workers in North Carolina, announced its support for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate today.

"Bev Perdue has always been an effective advocate and a fighter for working families in North Carolina," said Teamsters President Jack Cipriani in a statement. 

She has also been endorsed by EMILY's List, the N.C. Association of Educators, the National Association of Social Workers, the United Transportation Union, the National Women's Political Caucus, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Communications Workers of America, the N.C. Troopers Association, the N.C. Sheriff Police Alliance, the N.C. Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Elizabeth Edwards is stepping up criticism of Sen. Hillary Clinton's support for universal health care.

Edwards, the wife of presidential candidate John, claims Hillary and her husband Bill abandoned their effort for a universal health care plan in the 1990s to concentrate on pushing for ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Rob Christensen reports.

"They lost the fight in 1993, pulled it out because they wanted to use their political capital to get NAFTA passed as opposed to universal health care in '94," she told The New York Daily News.

She said Clinton's health care plan is nearly identical to the one her husband unveiled early this year, with one exception: Clinton would negotiate with the insurance companies.

"We think that's the wrong direction to go," Edwards said of negotiations.

Elizabeth Edwards, who is fighting cancer, has been hammering away at Clinton's health care plan since the New York senator introduced it last week.

Tying health care to NAFTA also has the advantage of helping Edwards with the labor vote which he is avidly courting.

John Edwards is in Chicago this afternoon to address the Change to Win labor federation, which includes such major labor unions as the Teamsters.