Mary Fant Donnan says unions have a role in North Carolina.
The candidate for the Democratic nomination for labor commissioner said she would work with unions to improve working conditions in the state, but she would not necessarily favor them.
"It's like asking, what do you think of employers?" she told Dome. "They have been very supportive of me, and I have beey supportive of making sure that they can bring their voice and perspective to the table. It's a good way to have accountability on both sides."
Donnan has received the backing of two of the biggest unions — the AFL-CIO and the N.C. Association of Educators — in a state that is otherwise not very friendly to labor groups. She said she thinks the labor commissioner can do things unions typically do in other states, such as mediating disputes between workers and employers.
Donnan also said she is open to looking at collective bargaining rights for public employees, but her position would depend on how it is tied to the right to strike and other issues.
"I can't just come out and say 'yes' or 'no' in an interview like this one because of the way all of those pieces fit together," she said. "I certainly am open to it."
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