Voters Reject Extremist in New Hampshire Special Election
AFL-CIO National Field Communications Director Jennifer Kauffman reports on some good news out of the states.
Last night, Democrat Jennifer Daler won a special election, 58 percent to 42 precent, in New Hampshire’s House District 4—the 14th most Republican district in the Granite State.
The seat, vacated by Robert Mead who resigned to become Speaker Bill O’Brien’s chief of staff, was not a race about partisan identity as much as it was a referendum on extreme politics. The voters sent a message loud and clear last night—they rejected Speaker O’Brien’s hardline, tea-party driven agenda and voted for restoring priorities and balance.
Today, working families are at the statehouse calling on legislators to stand with the middle class and sensible priorities. More than 100 people are there now—and the number is growing.
Granite State voters—deeply concerned by cuts in basic services—want to return to reasonable politics, where communities and elected leaders work together to create jobs and economic opportunities. It’s time for politicians to stop engaging in extreme partisan politics and focus on the issues that matter to New Hampshire’s middle-class families.
Knocking on Doors, Winning Votes
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On Saturday, Joseph Portman, a member of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), spent the day door-knocking on union members’ doors in Louisville, Ky., talking with them about the vast differences between union-backed U.S. Senate candidate Jack Conway (D) and Tea-Party-endorsed Rand Paul (R).
On the drive back to UAW Local 862, where more than 100 union members had gathered that morning for another in a series of labor walks, Portman said getting out the working family message is
important for us to do…and for me more importantly, because I’m a union member and people like to hear from people who actually get out there and work….For the next 38 days, this is what I’m going to be doing.
Help Locked-Out Workers Get Through the Holidays, and More Bargaining News
Workers locked out at Progress Casting in Minnesota need your help for the holidays—and more news here from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
WORK STOPPAGES AND ACTIONS
GMP, Progress Casting: Many workers locked out since Oct. 27 from Progress Casting in Plymouth, Minn., are struggling to make ends meet as the holidays approach—and their health care coverage has been cut. Please support our brothers and sisters in their battle. The workers are represented by the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers (GMP) Local 63B, and the union has set up a fund to assist members. Donations may be sent to “GMP 63B Relief Fund,” 2520 Kennedy St., N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55413. Supporters also are asked to write Progress Casting to urge an end to the lockout. Send letters to Bill Bieber (owner) or Tim Meador (general manager), Progress Casting, 2600 Niagara Lane N., Plymouth, MN 55447.
White House Task Force to Focus on America’s Working Families
For the first time in eight years, working families have a place in the White House. Yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama said he will establish a White House Task Force on Working Families. Vice President-elect Joe Biden will head the task force.
The task force will be a major initiative from the Obama administration targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families. Along with Biden, it will include top-level administration policymakers. The task force will conduct outreach sessions with representatives of labor, business and the advocacy communities. Said Obama:
My administration will be absolutely committed to the future of America’s middle-class and working families. They will be front and center every day in our work in the White House. And this Task Force will be one vehicle we will use to ensure that we never forget that commitment. I think it can make a great contribution to our work.
