Unions ramp up efforts in final hours before election

In Minnesota, national AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will fire up volunteers at weekend events in the Twin Cities area. View a schedule on the Minnesota AFL-CIO website.

Working America, the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate, also is ramping up its contact with members.

“Through thousands of face-to-face conversations, community gatherings and more, Working America has reached into homes, communities and neighborhoods to talk about the best candidates for working Minnesotans,” Working America announced. “Beginning on Saturday, Nov. 3 and continuing through Election Day, the canvass will be making sure Minnesotans get out and vote.”

The Minnesota effort will focus particularly on districts in the Twin Cities suburbs and the southern part of the state. Working America has nearly 300,000 members statewide.

In Minnesota, unions are mobilizing to support labor-endorsed candidates at all levels, from the federal government to local offices. In additions, unions are actively opposing two measures on the ballot that would amend the state Constitution to limit marriage and voting rights.

Nationally, the labor movement is focused on re-electing President Barack Obama and increasing the number of pro-labor elected officials in Congress.

“We’re seeing that working class rejection of the Bush-Romney-Ryan economic agenda is the defining issue of this election,” national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a news conference with reporters.

Trumka said labor’s neighbor-to-neighbor, targeted and community-based operations are helping working class voters in “cutting through the clutter” of millions of dollars in television ads posted by the campaigns and wealthy interests. He estimated AFL-CIO unions alone would marshal 128,000 volunteers in the final days.

The federation also is making sure people understand their voting rights through information being distributed on its website and elsewhere.

This article includes information from Press Associates, Inc., news service.

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