AFL-CIO Pennsylvania Labor 2008 Blog

UA Local 27 Phone Banks

On Wednesday, October 8, 2008 members of UA Local 27 came out to phone bank and talk to fellow union members about the importance of the upcoming election. Business Manager Tom Bigley asks his members to come out each election year because he know that member-to-member contact is the most effective way to make sure that union members and their families know the issues and the candidates.

“Hello, may I please speak to Robert?” said Josh Jenca, UA Local 27. “I’m calling fellow union members about the upcoming election. May I ask if we have your support for Barack Obama this election?”

The room was noisy with union members making phone calls and having important conversations about the economy and the future of the working class.

“I’m here phone banking today to let other union members know that Barack Obama is the best candidate for working families,” said Todd Schrader, UA Local 27. “He supports important legislation like the Employee Free Choice Act. As union members we have a shared interest in getting him elected.”

“I always enjoy getting out to the phone bank and talking with members,” said Bigley. “Union members trust each other and when you talk to members on the phone they are more likely to listen to you. They know that you understand them and they will listen if you tell them why they should support a certain candidate.”

“I know that Barack Obama is our candidate,” said Bigley. “He supports working class issues and we have to make sure that he is elected. I encourage other union members to get out here to the phone bank and help make sure he is elected.”

Local Union Spotlight: ROOFERS Local 210

ROOFERS Local 210 Business Manager Jack Lee is making local union mail a priority this election year.  “I want my members to understand how important this election is and the best way to get in touch with them is through a letter from the local.”

“I’ve already sent out three letters so far,” said Lee.  “I don’t want to overload their mailboxes but I will be sending out a couple more letters before November 4th.  I know my members appreciate hearing about these issues from their union because this is about our jobs and the future of the middle class.  And they trust the union to look out for those things for them.”

“I’m basically just emphasizing to my members that we need change.  We can’t have another four years like the last eight years.  We are losing jobs overseas, social security is in trouble, and the middle class is hurting.  We need a change and we need to elect someone who is for working people.  That is why we need to elect Barack Obama.”

“I urge all labor leaders to get pieces in the mail to their union members,” said Lee.  “I think adding a personal note or at the very least signing it personally goes a long way.  Members appreciate hearing from their union and they need all the encouragement they can get to learn about the issues and get out and vote.’

“The only way we are going to make change this year is if all our union members vote for the worker-friendly candidate, Barack Obama.  Every single vote will count this year and I am going to keep sending this information to my members to make sure that each and every one of them gets out and makes a difference in November.”

Local Union Spotlight: SEIU Healthcare Pennslyvania

On Tuesday evening, September 9th, Rhoda Stewart along with other SEIU release staff in Pittsburgh, made phone calls to union members to talk about the upcoming election.  “Hello my name is Rhoda and I am a union member,” said Rhoda.  “I’m calling because your union endorsed Barack Obama for president this year.  Do you know which way you are going to vote in November?”

Phone banking is an important component of the Labor 2008 program, allowing union members another avenue for discussing the important issues for working families that will be impacted by the election.  SEIU Healthcare PA members are making phone calls across the state to make sure their fellow union members are engaged in the election and aware of the issues.

“It’s important for people to get that phone call from a union member,” said Stewart.  “They know that other union members understand our issues and understand how hard it is for working families right now.  They trust us.  So a phone call means a lot more coming from us than any one else.”

“I called one woman who said she wasn’t going to vote,” said Stewart.  “I told her that we women fought for too long to get it for us not to come out and vote.  Barack Obama is for working families and her voice, as a union member, needs to be heard.  She agreed with me and said that she would come out and vote for Barack Obama.”

SEIU Healthcare PA is committed to making sure that phone banks are staffed and that these important phone calls to union members are made.  “I’ll be here whenever we are not worksite leafleting or participating in labor walks,” said Rhoda.  “And I encourage more members come out and join us.”

Local Union Spotlight: UMWA Local 2300

Early in the morning on August 29th , UMWA Local 2300 Vice President Chuck Knisell and UMWA Local 2300 members Al Loring and Rick Woodland handed out leaflets on Barack Obama’s worker-friendly policies to workers at the Cumberland Coal Mine in Greene County.  The leaflets read “Obama Won’t Take Away Your Gun but John McCain Will Take Away Your Union.”

“This is what we need to read,” said Woodland. “Guns are a big issue here and our members want to know that Obama won’t take them away.  He’s also for working families and supports our freedom to form a union.”

“The Employee Free Choice Act is something we’ve been fighting for here for a long time,” said Loring. “We’ve been passing out post cards and the petition.  We’ve been collecting signatures to send a message to Congress that we want the Employee Free Choice Act passed.  Obama is going to sign that into law when he is elected president and restore our freedom to form a union.”

“It is important that we are talking to our members in person about these issues,” said Vice President Knisell.  “It’s best to talk to each other face to face and it’s especially important that the officers get out to the worksite.  They trust us to run the local and enforce contracts.  We are the local leaders so it’s important that we start the discussion.”

“Most people tend to believe who they know and who they work with,” agreed Woodland.  “They trust their union brothers.  This is the best way to reach the most people who might not be sure about Senator Obama. It’s about the first hand information and conversation, it’s the hand shake and the eye to eye contact.  That’s what it’s about.”

“This is a very important election,” said Vice President Knisell.  “The Employee Free Choice Act is an important issue and Barack Obama supports us on that one.  If there was any question that any union brother or sister had about Obama and his policies before this leafleting, I hope we answered it.  He talks about all the important issues – health care, veterans, marching on the picket lines, the war in Iraq – that matter to working families and we need to make sure that our members know that.”

“This is our opportunity to create something great,” said Loring.  “We can bring back the opportunity for working men and women to work safely, to work for a fair wage, and to have affordable health care.  We have to elect Obama in the fall and we plan on working hard to make sure that happens.”

Local Union Spotlight on UFCW Local 23

On Thursday, August 28th UFCW Local 23 Public Affairs Director Kevin Kilroy and UFCW Local 23 Business Agent Edward Ribeau passed out leaflets on McCain’s anti-worker policies at the Northside Meatpacking Plant in New Kensington.  As workers came in the gates or left for the day, they were met with leaflets and discussion with their fellow union members.

“Today we are worksite leafleting to make sure our members know that John McCain’s policies are bad for working people,” said Kilroy.  “We want to make sure that our members know where the candidates stand on the issues that have the most immediate affect on their daily lives.”

“Worksite leafleting is the most effective way to educate members because it’s more personal,” said Ribeau.  “When we are able to speak one-on-one with our members we are better able to understand their concerns.  Then we know what is important to our members and we can have a discussion about where the candidates stand.  This we way we aren’t just telling the members what to think but instead having a conversation.”

“I have a relationship with each of my members,” continued Ribeau.  “We feel comfortable having discussions about tough issues and there is a trust between us.  I don’t want to preach to them but I am able to have a conversation.”

The conversation was not limited to just McCain’s anti-worker policies.  UFCW Local 23 members also discussed Barack Obama and his record of supporting working families.  “I believe that Barack Obama supports our unions and I know it is time for a change,” said UFCW Local 23 member Pat Duffy.  “I heard from the union a couple weeks ago about Barack Obama and I am proud to say that I support him and his policies.”

UFCW Local 23 member Jackie Waters stopped to talk with Kilroy and Ribeau for several minutes about the two candidates.  As she walked to her car with a leaflet in her hand she thanked them for the discussion.  “If I had known you would be here I would have come out sooner,” she said.  There are many more conversations to have before November and worksite leafleting is the best way to start them.

 

Local Union Spotlight: SEIU Local 3 Worksite Leaflets to let Members Know Barack Obama is for Working Families

On Tuesday, August 12th, SEIU release staff Bill Beu from Local 3, Brenda Judge from Local 1199NY, and Brendan Thornton from Local 3 leafleted at the Frick Building and the Oxford Building in downtown Pittsburgh.  SEIU Local 3 is a property services local union made up of janitors, maintenance workers, window cleaners, school district workers, stadium workers, and groundskeepers from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Detroit. 

On Tuesday evening, as they got ready to head in to work, SEIU Local 3 members were eager to discuss Barack Obama and his support of the issues that matter most to them.  “Barack Obama believes in the labor movement and he believes in unions,” said SEIU Local 3 member Brendan Thornton as he handed a worksite leaflet to SEIU Local 3 member Karen Doyle.  “I appreciate that the union is out here talking with us. I think it means more when other union members talk to you about the issues because they know where you are coming from.  They understand our issues and what is important to us.”

“Worksite leafleting is important because it is best to have that one-on-one contact,” said SEIU Local 3 member Bill Beu. “This way we can find out what issues are most important to that member and really have a conversation.  Politics intertwine with every aspect of our lives so it is important to find out what the member cares about and connect it back to politics.  You can only do that by worksite leafleting and having a conversation.”

And the conversation remained optimistic and enthusiastic as members agreed that their union’s endorsed candidate, Barack Obama’s policies are good for working families.  “Barack Obama is on the right track with our issues like health care, job security, and workers rights,” said SEIU Local 3 member George Hicks.  “That is why I support him and that is why our union supports him.”

“We are all rocking in the same boat,” agreed SEIU Local 3 member Rose Prince.  “Health care issues and the economy affect all of us.  And I am with Barack Obama one hundred percent.”

The SEIU release staff will be leafleting at worksites as often as possible from now until the election in the hopes of reaching as many members as they can at the workplace before the election.  “This is a great chance to have some important conversations with our fellow union members,” said Bill Beu.  “And to get out there as union activists and really have an impact this year.”

IAM Local 1968 Worksite Leaflets to Let Members Know that John McCain's Anti-Worker Policies Hurt Working Families

Standing outside of the Lord Plant in Erie on Thursday, August 6th, IAM Local 1968 President Harry Ross explained why worksite leafleting is an effective way for him to let his members know that John McCain and his anti-worker policies are bad for working people.  “Worksite leafleting allows me to bring these important issues right to the workers.  This way they get information that they know they can trust without much hassle.”

IAM Local 1968 includes 70 members employed by eight different plants in Erie and Crawford counties in Northwestern Pennsylvania, and about 150 retirees.  Some shops have only one or two members, while other, larger shops, like the Lord Plant in Erie, where President Ross works, employ twenty members.

Despite his members being fairly spread out, President Ross has found ways to make sure every one of them receives important information about the candidates and the issues that matter most for working families this year. One of President Ross’s main strategies is to use his shop stewards.  “I make sure that shop stewards are doing the same thing that I am: taking these leaflets into the plants and getting them to the workers.  I make sure that the shop stewards understand the issues and then I have them spread the word to members in all of our plants.  This way I reach as many people as possible and in the most effective way possible.”

President Ross believes that worksite leafleting is the most effect way of getting information to union members because “it requires one on one contact.  The exchange between the person handing out the leaflets and the person receiving it is the best way to get information to sink in.  It also can start a discussion.  Now the member is thinking about these issues because another member asked them to and now they can ask important questions and get answers when otherwise they wouldn’t.”

“This election is the most important one of our life time.  The middle class is hurting from the Bush Administration’s failed policies.  We know that McCain will be more of the same.  That is why it is so important that I make sure my members know about the issues and know that McCain will mean more of the same bad policies.  We are going to turn America around this election.  We have to turn America around.”

UFCW Local 325 Worksite Leaflets to Let Members Know Barack Obama Supports Working Families

On Monday, August 4th, UFCW Local 325 Secretary Treasurer Geneva Taylor stood outside of Bay Valley Foods Co. in Pittsburgh during the early afternoon shift change and greeted her members with leaflets on Barack Obama’s record of supporting working families.  The atmosphere was lighthearted and fun as Taylor took the opportunity to catch up with those members she hadn’t seen for a while and let them know about the upcoming election.

“How are you doing?” she asked as members passed by, addressing them all by their first name.  “Here is a leaflet on Barack Obama and his support for working families.  I hope you’ll take the time to look it over and consider what his policies mean for you and your family.”

“I think Barack Obama is going to take us in the right direction,” said UFCW Local 325 member Adam Scott.  “I’m glad to see my union out here making sure members know that.”  UFCW Local 325 member Alfred Grate Jr. agreed, saying “Barack Obama worked with unions for a long time even before he was running for president.  He is a strong representative for working families.”

“I am out here today worksite leafleting and talking to my members because I want to start the discussion.  I want them to look over the leaflet and then go inside and start talking to other members about Barack Obama,” said Taylor.  “It’s that word of mouth, that member to member contact that is so important.  And today’s worksite leafleting is just the beginning!”

BCTGM Local 464 Leaflets at Wilbur Chocolate Co. to Let Members Know that Barack Obama Stands with Working Families

It was a busy time at 5 a.m., outside the gates of the Wilbur Chocolate plant in Lititz, Pa., recently. Workers—members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 464—were leaving from the third shift and entering the plant for the first shift.

There to greet them with leaflets on Barack Obama's record of supporting working families were fellow BCTGM Local 464 members Jake Long and Bob Huffman. Even at that early hour, the chocolate factory workers showed a great deal of interest in the information and political discussion.

Says Huffman:

It is important to be out here talking to our members because this is the true democratic process. Democracy requires that people be educated and get involved. Passing out leaflets and making sure our members know that Barack Obama is the best candidate for working people is a good way to engage them and make sure their voice is heard.

The backbone of Labor 2008’s mobilization is member-to-member contact. The reason this contact is so effective, says Long, is that

union members trust other union members because they know they have the same interests. The union protects the members’ job and improves their standard of living so they know that the union cares about them. That is why that member-to-member contact at the worksite is so important.

In addition to the Wilbur plant gate leafleting, Local 464 members have distributed fliers at other plants, including two large Hershey’s chocolate factories, and plan to continue leafleting at every plant regularly until the election in November.

Long says that along with the plant gate actions, the local will get the message out that Obama’s on the side of working families with local union mail, member-to-member phone banks and labor walks.

Local Union Spotlight: NATCA PHL

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) represents over 20,000 controllers, engineers, traffic management coordinators, nurses, and staff specialists. Like all Federal employees, members of the NATCA PHL Air Traffic Control local at the Philadelphia International Airport have been hard hit by the past eight years of the Bush Administration's policies.

Over the past eight years Bush's policies have "decimated the workforce," says Don Chapman, NATCA PHL Facility Representative. "After contracts went up for renegotiation in 2005 the FAA took advantage of a legal loophole and, after failing to come to an agreement with the union, forced us into imposed work rules. There is no contract and there is no agreement. The Bush Administration and its unfair policies gave the FAA the go ahead to ignore our part of the negotiations."

Chapman emphasizes that the biggest issue is not more pay or vacation time. What is at stake is the collective bargaining process. "Collective bargaining is what allows the labor movement to exist. Without collective bargaining the working people do not have power over their working situation." Chapman
believes that the FAA's dismissal of NATCA's request for negotiations is not just a labor dispute. "It is an attempt to take away power from working people as a whole," says Chapman.

"Union members need to get involved and be aware of the policies that will effect them. Your union touches every part of your life from your salary to your healthcare to your pension. Failing to protect our unions will mean handing our future over to people who don't care about us." The Bush Administration has been hard on the labor movement and "John McCain is just four more years of the Bush agenda. His voting record indicates that he will continue to make it difficult for working people to form unions and bargain for fair contracts."

"Barack Obama has a strong record with the labor movement," adds Chapman. "It is clear that Obama supports our freedom to negotiate fair contracts. NATCA members have a strong sense of the relationship between policy and working conditions and so it is obvious to our membership that electing Obama is the best thing the labor movement can do to restore it's strength and future."