Three women wear T-shirts with pictures of President Obama stating “He saved our jobs” as they walk outside the Time Warner Arena, where this year’s Democratic National Convention takes place, in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday. Preparations for the Democratic National Convention have begun around Charlotte, where the party is expected to nominate Obama for a second term. (Mladen Antonov / AFP)

The Democratic Party reaffirms its support for collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers in its 2012 platform, which it released Monday night.

“Democrats believe that the right to organize and collectively bargain is a fundamental value,” the platform said. “Unions helped build the greatest middle class the world has ever known. We will fight for collective bargaining rights for police officers, nurses, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, teachers and other public-sector workers — jobs that are a proven path to the middle class for millions of Americans.” Continue reading “Democratic platform supports collective bargaining”