Print
houses. This issue of AFT On Campus gives a sense of the action in a number of states (see feature story). The Voting Record delivers the facts on how your elected officials cast their votes on issues of great importance to our members. It shows who has and has not earned your support.
In this quest for a new direction, the AFT isn’t going it alone. The AFL-CIO is mounting one of its most aggressive political action efforts ever. Economic trends and voter dissatisfaction with out-of-touch politicians have created what AFL-CIO president John Sweeney calls “the perfect storm” for change.
The AFL-CIO has geared up for voter outreach in 21 states where labor-supported candidates are engaged in tight U.S. House and Senate races. The effort will emphasize member-to-member contact and highlight candidates’ stands on such key issues as job creation, healthcare, retirement security and oil prices.
The campaign is already in high gear. The AFL-CIO placed more than 1.3 million calls to union members and their households, sent more than 1.1 million pieces of mail to members, produced more than 2.6 million customized fliers for walks and work-site leafleting, and recruited more than 20,000 new activists—all before Labor Day.
Outreach will be “reality-based” and a stark contrast to President Bush’s rosy view of the economy, Sweeney says. It will drive home the fact that workers have been left out in the cold: Corporate profits have soared thanks to rising productivity, yet real family income is lower today than it was five years ago.
