This election year, around the country and the state of
Pennsylvania, union activists are focusing on down-ticket races in addition to
the presidential. Just as important as
electing a president that focuses on working family issues is having a Senate
and House of Representatives that will as well.
Monday, October 6th, 2008 President Rick Galiano,
USW Local 9305 met Bernie Hall, USW Local 8183, and Mike Sabat, USW Local 9305
to leaflet workers at the Koppel Steel Plant in Beaver County. Also joining the group was AFL-CIO endorsed
candidate Congressman Jason Altmire who helped pass out information on Barack
Obama’s support for working families as well as for his own campaign.
“We are out talking to our fellow union members about the
importance of the upcoming election,” said President Galiano to USW Local 9305
member Ray Reheer. “As union members Barack Obama is the best candidate for us
and our future.”
“I agree,” said Reheer. “He supports healthcare for every one and he wants to preserve my social
security. With the economy going the
way it is right now I can’t understand how any union member wouldn’t vote for
him.”
“I think this election is the most important one of my life
time,” said Ed Lackner, USW Local 305. “it’s time for a change and it’s time for us to start moving in the
right direction again. With the price
of groceries and the price of gas these days it’s very difficult for working
people. Every thing that Obama stands
for is going to help change that. He is
the best candidate for the middle-class.”
“It is important for union members to be having these
conversations,” said Congressman Altmire. “Union members trust each other, work together, and have
relationships. No one better
understands where one union member is coming from than another union
member. So it is crucial that union
members talk to each other about the upcoming election and the issues.”
“We are going to be out leafleting another plant on
Thursday,” said Mike Sabat, USW Local 9305. “We are going to keep reaching out to members from now until the
election. We nee to make sure our
members are educated and the face-to-face conversations that these leaflets
facilitate are the best way to do that.”
The Philadelphia Metal Trades Council President and IBB member Gary Gaydosh and Philadelphia Metal Trades Council Recording Secretary and IBB member Fred Chamberlain discuss why worksite leafleting and member to member contact are so important this election cycle:
On September 30th the “Billy Bus” pulled up in downtown Philadelphia. PA AFL-CIO President Bill George and Secretary Treasurer Richard Bloomingdale joined AFSCME Local 1199c President Henry Nicholas in leafleting workers at the Hahnemann University Hospital.
“It is important to get out the vote and to support Barack Obama,” said President Nicholas. “My members know how important this election is so I am just keeping the conversation going. We support Barack Obama and we know he is the best candidate for working people.”
“How are you doing?” President George said to a union member as he handed her a leaflet. “Your union endorses Barack Obama because his policies will support working families and the middle class. Make sure you vote in November for our candidate, Barack Obama.”
“I’m glad to see my fellow union members out here today,” said Izeaner Acree, AFSCME Local 1199c. “It means we are together. I am standing with my union members and they stand with me and we all support Barack Obama. I trust my fellow union members to talk to me about these issues and I hope they trust me, too, because together we can elect Obama.”
The “Billy Bus” then drove to Montgomery County where President George and Secretary Treasurer Bloomingdale joined AFSCME District Council 88 Director Bob Cooper for a phone bank.
Darby Doyle, UA Local 690; Butch Grobes, UA Local 690 and Valo Terry, IBB Local 19 discuss Barack Obama's support for working families at the worksite:
Early Tuesday morning Business Manager Pat Gillespie and affiliate leaders from the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council handed out leaflets at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard and two construction sites. The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades leadership is leafleting every day of the week from now until the election to make sure that their members know about Barack Obama’s record of supporting working people.
“We are going out to various construction sites and other worksites to let our members know the difference between Barack Obama and John McCain,” said Gillespie. “This is one of the easier decisions for a working person to make. Barack Obama stands for working people, he cares about us and our future. John McCain has come up with the same old nonsense, the same old hopeless policy that we’ve suffered under the last eight years.”
“This race is too close and I worry that it is because of the color of Barack Obama’s skin. We have to look past that and look at what is best for us and for our future and that would be electing Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. This is about the future of working people in America.”
As he handed him a leaflet, Butch Grobes, a steward for UA Local 690 told Valo Terry, IBB Local 19, how important it is to support Barack Obama. “He is for the working people and for our issues,” said Grobes.
“I know he is,” answered Terry. “McCain supports unfair trade agreements and he doesn’t support the middle class or working America. Just look at where the economy is right now. It’s just further proof that the Bush Administration and their policies--policies that McCain supports--hurt working people. So I fully support Barack Obama.”
“It is so important that we are out here talking to the workers and trying to let them know that Barack Obama supports working people,” said Fred Chamberlain, IBB Local 19 Vice President and Philadelphia Metal Trades Council Recording Secretary. “Our members elected us and they trust us to get this important information to them.”
“The guys that work with us trust us and come to us for advice,” said Gary Gaydosh, Philadelphia Metal Trades Council President. “We don’t tell them how to vote but we give them information and hope that they go with their union and the future of working families. We hope that because we talked to them today at the worksite they will support Barack Obama.”
“We are brothers and we are fellow union members,” said Mike Fera, OPCM Local 592 Business Manager. “And our future depends on this election. We, as union members, got to get the vote out for Barack Obama. It’s not enough for us to just vote for Obama. It’s about our friends, our family and our union brothers all voting for Obama, too.”
“So I urge all leaders of all unions to get out to your worksites and talk to your members. We need to elect Barack Obama and it’s up to us to make sure that happens.”
Like local unions across the country, IBEW Local 459 in Johnstown is reaching out to their members with a series of mail pieces on Barack Obama’s record of supporting working families. Last Thursday IBEW Local 459 Business Manager Don Hoak and President Ken Richards were on hand to discuss the importance of local union mail with IBEW Local 459 retired members Robert Barnett and Paul Pozar as they stuffed envelopes to go out to their almost 1,900 members across the Western half of the state.
“We’ve always kept our members politically informed and this year is no different than any other,” said Hoak. “We encourage our members to support Barack Obama and all the candidates endorsed by the AFL-CIO.”
“This mailing is so important because it comes from the local and goes directly to the members,” said Pozar. “This letter is from real people to real people and that’s what member-to-member contact is all about. Our members can trust this information because it comes from a source that they know and relate to: their union.”
“Barack Obama is the best candidate for the labor movement and our members need to know that,” said Barnett. “As fellow members of the IBEW Local 459 we have a responsibility to talk to each other about this and a mail piece signed by our local officers is a great way to do that.”
“This is just the first of what will be a total of three mailings,” said Hoak. “We want our members to be very comfortable with Obama and what he stands for by the time November 4th arrives. This is just the start.”
“We encourage all local leaders to send out a letter to their members,” said Richards. “Members trust the leadership they elected. Make sure your members know which candidate stands for their issues and send a mail piece signed by you. It really does make a difference and this year, with such an importance election, we need to do every thing we can for our candidate, Barack Obama.”
This election year, around the country and the state of
Pennsylvania, union activists are focusing on down-ticket races in addition to
the presidential. Just as important as
electing a president that focuses on working family issues is having a Senate
and House of Representatives that will as well. 
