Virg Bernero may be down in the polls to his democratic opponent Andy Dillon, but he's not out, not yet, thanks to the support of several unions.

"We're working with our members who are working with the public to get Bernero's name out there," Doug Pratt of the MEA said.

Among his backers, Bernero can name the Michigan AFL CIO, the UAW, and the Michigan Education Association. The Detroit Free Press is reporting those unions and others collectively could spend more than $2.5 million in the next few weeks, campaigning for the mayor.

"We represent 155,000 members out there," Pratt said. "Individually they are making donations, the organization is making donations, it's that grass roots support that is going to put Virg Bernero on top on August 3rd.

Though not the same numbers, Andy Dillon's gotten union support as well, in the form of the Teamsters and the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police.

"He's been in the legislature for a number of years, and he's been very supportive of a number of our issues, he's shown he's willing to sit down with us," John Buczek, executive director of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, said.

Buczek said their support may not be measured in financial terms, but it will make a difference on election day.

"I think so," Buczek said. "I think we're the grass roots effort. We have 10,000 members state-wise. It's important in small communities to have that kind of support."

Both candidates have struggled with name recognition state-wide. With less than 3 weeks to go, both are banking on the unions making up the difference.

"That's the real strength organized labor brings to this process," Pratt said, "is the numbers we can bring to the polls."

We won't know how much either candidate has raised in this election until next week. All candidates must report their fund raising on July 18th. That won't tell us how much the unions have spent, just how much has been donated to the candidates.