ATU Action Weekly Update - 10/16/06

Please note, there will be no ATU Action Weekly Updates for the weeks of October 23rd, October 30th, and November 6th, as ATU International political and legislative department staff will be devoting all of their time to helping elect transit and labor friendly candidates.  ATU Action Weekly Updates will return after the election with a full summary of the ATU's election activities. 

Election Day is Just Three Weeks Away!

With November 7th just around the corner, the ATU is on the move across the country, educating and mobilizing members in support of union-endorsed candidates. 

Over the past few weeks, ATU Locals across the country have been devoting staff to the effort, recruiting candidates for walks and phone banks, leafleting members at the worksite and sending letters to members urging them to support union-endorsed candidates on November 7th.  Here is just a sampling of what ATU Locals and members are doing:

  • ATU Local 85 (Pittsburgh, PA) officers and activists distributed leaflets to members working at the Ross Division on September 26th.  U.S. House candidate Jason Altmire was also present and introduced himself to the members.  The local also adopted October 12th as their union-wide phone bank night and has agreed to adopt a separate phone bank night for each division.  Local members Mike Harms and Bryon Shane are working full-time with the Labor 2006 program through the election.
  • ATU Local 757 (Portland, OR) turned out more than 25 ATU members for a Labor Neighbor walk and phone bank on Wednesday, September 27th.  Oregon AFL-CIO President Bill Chamberlain greeted the ATU Activists and applauded their commitment to electing labor-friendly candidates.  Volunteers urged other union members to support Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) for re-election.  Local member Mike Pucik will be working full-time with the Labor 2006 program in OR through the election. 
  • ATU Local 857 (Green Bay, WI) President/Business Agent Larry Juley sent a letter to his membership on October 4th, urging their support for Governor Jim Doyle (D) and U.S. House candidate Steve Kagen (D).
  • ATU Local 1310 (Eau Claire, WI) held an informational meeting for local union members on October 4th to discuss the upcoming election.  Mike Turner, a candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly, and a representative from the WI AFL-CIO addressed the members and urged them to get involved in election activities.
  • ATU Local 998 (Milwaukee, WI) Legislative Director LeAnn Minor, along with Dale Anderson, President of the ATU Wisconsin Conference Board, distributed leaflets to ATU members at the Fond Du Lac and KK garages on October 5th, urging them to help re-elect Governor Doyle.
  • ATU Local 568 (Erie, PA) President/Business Agent Ben Carrick, along with his son and wife, participated in Labor Walks and Phone Banks over several days from October 7th through October 11th. 
  • ATU Local 1464 (Tampa, FL) Activists participated in the nationwide Labor Neighbor walk on October 7th and a Labor Neighbor phone bank on October 10th.  The ATU Activists urged fellow union members to support Congressman Jim Davis (D) for Governor.
  • ATU Local 1593 (Tampa, FL) President/Business Agent Mike McCoy appeared in a television campaign commercial for a Alex Fink, a candidate for Chief Financial Officer of Florida.  Check out the commercial at http://www.alexforcfo.com/.  President McCoy has been working full-time as the Zone Coordinator for the AFL-CIO political program in Tampa. 
  • ATU Local 1005 (Minneapolis, MN) member Catrina Patterson has been knocking on doors every day - even in the snow - urging members to support Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar (D) and Gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch (D).  Other officers and members have also been working to encourage voters to support a statewide ballot measure that would provide funding for transit.
  • ATU Local 1001 (Denver, CO) members Christine Campbell and Holman Carter have been working full-time with the AFL-CIO to talk to union members and their families about various candidates and ballot measures in Colorado.
  • ATU Local 589 (Boston, MA) member John Murray has been helping to organize ATU and other union members in support of Gubernatorial candidate DeVal Patrick. 
  • ATU Local 587 (Seattle, WA) member Neal Safrin is also working night and day, recruiting volunteers, organizing phone banks, and doing whatever needs to be done to turnout the union vote for union-endorsed candidates in Washington.  In addition, member Lisa Thompson has been volunteering a significant amount of time between shifts, in the evenings and weekends, to this effort.
  • ATU Local 1395 (Pensacola, FL) member Jackie McBride has been working full-time with the Labor 2006 program since October 2nd.  She has done a great job of turning out ATU members for phone banks and walks in the area.  Member Gerri Bell will be joining her next week to help drive the program through the last two weeks of the election.
  • ATU Local 1577 (West Palm Beach, FL) member Paul Kaplan will be working full-time through the last two weeks in support of union-endorsed candidates, includign gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis (D) and U.S. House candidate Tim Mahoney (D), who is running to fill Mark Foley's (R) open seat.
  • ATU Local 1596 (Orlando, FL) will be releasing member Victor Torres to work full-time with the Labor 2006 program in support of union-endorsed candidates.

Click here to see pictures of these ATU Activists and others on the ATU website. 

 

Now Is the Time to Get Involved

Each of the ATU Activists mentioned above has their own reasons for volunteering - from concerns about the skyrocketing cost of health care to worries about Social Security and jobs being privatized. No matter what their reason, each volunteer knew that by participating in the Labor 2006 program, they were making a difference for their community, their state and our country. 

You can help make a difference too.  With just 22 days left until Election Day, now is the time to get involved. Just a few hours of your time each week will make a huge difference in the outcome of this election. Click here to sign up to volunteer with Labor 2006.

We are committed to doing everything we can to make a positive change for working families in November, and we hope that you’ll join us in that fight.

 

Find Out Who the Union-Endorsed Candidates Are in Your Area

If you haven't heard from your local labor movement about who the union endorsed candidates are in your area, go to http://political.aflcio.org/portal/ to find out.  The site lists endorsements for top ticket races as well as state and local candidates, along with polling data and recent newpaper articles about the candidates.

 

Are You An ATU Activist?

Have you been volunteering for Labor 2006 programs, knocking on doors or phone banking union members in support of union-endorsed candidates?  If so, let us know. 

Send us the details of what you have been doing, along with photos of your activities and a brief explanation about why you think it is so important to be an ATU Activist!  You just might make the ATU website.

Send information to atuaction@atu.org.