Warning! I posted the question when Mathematica v 8.0 was the coolest kid. The bug has been solved as of version 9.0.1
The help for EdgeLabels states:
The solution is easy. Upgrade to V 8.0.1 :)
At least that is what I have and it works there. (windows 7)
Btw, I do not know if the labels on the edges are correct, but at least it does put them on the figure, unlike your image).