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Bad News for Kentucky Gov. Is Good News for Working Families |
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Rachele Huennekens, AFL-CIO Media Outreach fellow, is blogging and leafleting her way through the eighth day of a 10-day bus tour through Kentucky, where former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) is challenging Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), who has canceled bargaining rights for state employees and taken other anti-worker stands. Dozens of local labor leaders and union volunteers are taking part in the Bluegrass Express tour, which over the weekend made stops at many diverse worksites.
On Friday, Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan, AFL-CIO field representative Don Slaiman, Labor 2007 zone coordinator Eddie Bowling and I were joined by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14300 President Ben Suttles and USW Vice President Gary Smith. Together, we distributed leaflets at the Jackson/MSC steel plant in Barbourville in southeastern Kentucky. Next, we visited the nearby Seal Technologies plant and then made our way to Lexington, where we distributed leaflets to Brenda Lynn, SEIU Local 541 vice president, to pass on to members of her local union who are employed at the famous Keeneland horse race track.
On Sunday and Monday mornings, the bus moved to Ashland in northeastern Kentucky, where we made three stops: at the huge AK Steel Plant, with members of USW Local 1865, at a Cingular call center, joining members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 3371, and at the Raceland rail yard, with members of the United Transportation Union (UTU).
Everywhere we went, we could feel the excitement among union members. Nearly everyone had heard about the election and many people had strong feelings about the candidates and were concerned about working family issues such as affordable health care, the freedom to form a union and good jobs.
This positive response was no different from the past seven days of the tour. So far, at some of the most diverse worksites possible, the Bluegrass Express has been very successful in stimulating discussion and interest about politics among union members.
Slaiman highlighted the reasons we all are taking part in the Bluegrass Express tour.
Regardless of it being a behemoth power plant, a tobacco factory, a steel plant, a call center, a race track, or a construction site, there’s always a conversation going on [among co-workers] that we need to be part of. That’s why it’s important to engage our members in various settings.
Adds Londrigan:
When we distribute leaflets outside a given workplace, the conversation and “buzz” about politics and the upcoming elections builds inside. With a leaflet in hand, union members are motivated to talk to their co-workers and family members.
That’s bad news for Gov. Fletcher and his greedy corporate cronies, but even worse for them: There’s no way they can stop the growing excitement and political engagement the Bluegrass Express has generated across the state.
On Nov. 6, Kentucky’s working families are going to flex their political muscle like never before, and I can hardly wait!
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Paid for by AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Treasury Fund.
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