MANCHESTER — Politics was the main course at the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast Monday. Gov. John Lynch joined other elected officials and candidates, mostly Democrats, in addressing hundreds of union workers at the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

Early in Lynch's speech, the audience stood to applaud enthusiastically when he referred to the defeat, for the second year in a row, of right-to-work legislation.

“Right-to-work is bad for business, it's bad for families, it's bad for working men and women, and it's bad for New Hampshire, and we are not going to let it happen,” Lynch said.

Supporters of right-to-work legislation say it would give employees the choice whether or not to join a workplace union, while opponents say its real intent is to cripple unions.

House Republican leaders have pushed right-to-work legislation and several other bills targeting unions, particularly those representing public employees, but they have been unable to muster enough votes to override vetoes from Lynch.

The most passionate speech Monday came from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has served in Congress as an independent for 22 years.

“Labor Day is the day that we remember when workers stood up for their basic rights, for dignity on the job, a decent wage and decent working conditions,” Sanders said. “Today we understand that there is an assault against labor and working people that is unprecedented in our time.”

Referring to organizations and individuals backing anti-union efforts in several states, Sanders said: “They understand an important lesson from history, that most of the important legislation passed in this country — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and many others — never would have happened if organized labor did not lead the way for working people.”

This year's breakfast featured the national AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler as the keynote speaker.

Other speakers included Democrat congressional candidates Carol Shea-Porter and Annie Kuster, state Rep. Lee Quandt (R-Exter), and Rep. Stephen Shurtleff (D-Penacook).

With the primary a week away, many other candidates for state office or their campaign representatives were in attendance, including the Democratic candidates for governor, Jackie Cilley and Maggie Hassan.

tsiefer@unionleader.com