Democratic National Convention Host Charlotte: Anti-Union Rules, Packed Shelters, Food Deserts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/democratic-national-convention-charlotte_n_1419444.html

Whatever the considerations in the choice, a lot about Charlotte goes unmentioned: double-digit unemployment, overflowing homeless shelters and North Carolina's notorious restrictions on labor unions.

Although unions are participating in the convention, more than a dozen unions have announced a boycott of the event. “We find it troubling that the party so closely associated with basic human rights would choose a state with the lowest unionization rate in the country due to regressive policies aimed at diluting the power of workers,” wrote Mark Ayers, president of the building trades unit, to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz last summer.

Even in the age of Occupy Wall Street, Charlotte boosters say they see little irony in Obama taking the podium to accept his party's nomination at Bank of America Stadium.

Bank of America Corp., whose power is symbolized by its iconic glass tower in Uptown, played a major part in the financial-services boom that helped bring Charlotte into the 21st century. Yet the second-largest U.S. bank suffers well-known problems, from its $45 billion bailout during the financial crisis to its deep exposure in the foreclosure mess.

BofA also ignited a backlash in the fall when it tried to impose a $5 monthly debit-card fee on its customers. Even Obama blasted the fee, telling ABC News, "You don't have some inherent right just to, you know, get a certain amount of profit, if your customers are being mistreated."