Speaking at the biennial convention of the Minnesota AFL-CIO in Duluth, Sweeney condemned the policies of Republican candidate John McCain and praised the positions of Obama.
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| Anna Brelje, staff member in Minneapolis, outlines the issues at stake in the November election. |
Obama will "rewrite the rules of globalization that have left to massive job loss," rebuild the nation\'s infrastructure, invest in "green" jobs, "close the wage and wealth gap by getting rid of special tax breaks for the wealthy" and support the Employee Free Choice Act, Sweeney said.
"The choice before us could not be more clear."
To elect Obama and other labor-endorsed candidates, the federation is engaged in the "biggest AFL-CIO political effort in our history, together with the Change to Win and the NEA," Sweeney said. The effort will include more than 70 million telephone calls and 20 million worksite contacts, he said.
"If we all do the job we can do, this is a victory that we will win."
Organizers for Labor 2008 echoed Sweeney\'s call to action.
Russell Hess, co-coordinator of the Labor 2008 campaign in Minnesota, said his motivation is a better future for his children.
"I\'m not going to sit there and let them steal the American dream from my one-year-old and my three-year-old," he told delegates to the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention.
"From phone banks to doorknocks to labor picnics and rallies, labor has come through time and time again with volunteers, donations and just good old-fashioned hard work," said Wayne Fleischhacker, staff member for the East Central Area Labor Council.
The effort by unions will be matched by Working America, an organization for people who currently don\'t have union representation. Working America currently has more than 186,000 members in Minnesota and is growing by hundreds every day. The group plans to knock on at least 140,000 doors now through the November election.
Explained Mark Froemke staff member for the West Area Labor Council: "We have an opportunity to make America a better place and we cannot drop the ball."
When the convention adjourned Monday, scores of union members participated in a citywide doorknock to promote labor-endorsed candidates.
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| Theresa Peterson, a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association, talks to a union member in Gary, just outside Duluth, as part of Monday\'s citywide doorknock. |
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Speaking at the biennial convention of the Minnesota AFL-CIO in Duluth, Sweeney condemned the policies of Republican candidate John McCain and praised the positions of Obama.
|
| Anna Brelje, staff member in Minneapolis, outlines the issues at stake in the November election. |
"Here\’s the ultimate measure of the choice before us," Sweeney said. "Barack Obama has a 98 percent AFL-CIO voting record. McCain has voted with Bush 90 percent of the time. He voted against working families 90 percent of the time. Those votes have taken us down a road of economic destruction."
Obama will "rewrite the rules of globalization that have left to massive job loss," rebuild the nation\’s infrastructure, invest in "green" jobs, "close the wage and wealth gap by getting rid of special tax breaks for the wealthy" and support the Employee Free Choice Act, Sweeney said.
"The choice before us could not be more clear."
To elect Obama and other labor-endorsed candidates, the federation is engaged in the "biggest AFL-CIO political effort in our history, together with the Change to Win and the NEA," Sweeney said. The effort will include more than 70 million telephone calls and 20 million worksite contacts, he said.
"If we all do the job we can do, this is a victory that we will win."
Organizers for Labor 2008 echoed Sweeney\’s call to action.
Russell Hess, co-coordinator of the Labor 2008 campaign in Minnesota, said his motivation is a better future for his children.
"I\’m not going to sit there and let them steal the American dream from my one-year-old and my three-year-old," he told delegates to the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention.
"From phone banks to doorknocks to labor picnics and rallies, labor has come through time and time again with volunteers, donations and just good old-fashioned hard work," said Wayne Fleischhacker, staff member for the East Central Area Labor Council.
The effort by unions will be matched by Working America, an organization for people who currently don\’t have union representation. Working America currently has more than 186,000 members in Minnesota and is growing by hundreds every day. The group plans to knock on at least 140,000 doors now through the November election.
Explained Mark Froemke staff member for the West Area Labor Council: "We have an opportunity to make America a better place and we cannot drop the ball."
When the convention adjourned Monday, scores of union members participated in a citywide doorknock to promote labor-endorsed candidates.
|
| Theresa Peterson, a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association, talks to a union member in Gary, just outside Duluth, as part of Monday\’s citywide doorknock. |