AFSCME Leaders Commit to Building Army of Volunteers to ‘Take Back America’
June 29, 2007
UNITED IN PURPOSE – AFSCME activists from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C., June 18-20, to hear Democratic Presidential candidates and commit to building a 40,000-member activist army to support labor-friendly candidates in the 2008 elections.
Photo Credit:
Jon Melegrito
More than 2,000 AFSCME leaders from throughout the country concluded a three-day Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., last week by committing to build a powerful 40,000-member army of activists dedicated to turning out the vote next year to win back the White House, elect a veto-proof Congress and support worker-friendly candidates in state houses across America.
One of the highlights of the week – a Presidential Candidates Forum moderated by MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews – drew five of the leading Democratic Presidential candidates: U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Each is hoping to win the union’s endorsement.
During the forum, the candidates fielded questions from AFSCME members on issues ranging from affordable health care, the environment and protecting Social Security, to the Iraq war and the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), an initiative that would allow workers to join unions – either by ballot elections or majority sign-up – without employer interference. Links to more coverage of the forum can be found on AFSCME.org.
During a Town Hall meeting with the AFSCME leaders, Pres. Gerald W. McEntee answered questions and explained the union’s Presidential endorsement process. Through polling, use of the web and the work of a nine-member Presidential Search Committee, this will be the most extensive candidate review ever conducted by AFSCME. “We have to drill down as deep as we can in our union to see which candidate – if there is a single candidate – they want to support,” McEntee explained.
Later, thousands of AFSCME leaders, union activists and supporters, including Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and some of the Presidential hopefuls, rallied on Capitol Hill in 95-degree heat, to support passage of EFCA.
Addressing the crowd as master of ceremonies, McEntee said EFCA “is about letting 60 million workers who say they’d join a union, do so without fear of being harassed, intimidated or discriminated against.” See more on the rally here.
To read more about the Leadership Conference, check out these links:
