AFL-CIO to celebrate Labor Day by starting final political push

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4605

By Mark Gruenberg
1 September 2010

WASHINGTON - The AFL-CIO and its member unions will celebrate Labor Day by starting their final political push in the two months left before the Nov. 2 election.
A federation-sponsored TV ad will run the weekend of Labor Day on network telecasts of baseball, college football and auto racing, But mostly, unions will concentrate on their ground game between now and Election Day, federation President Richard Trumka said.

The federation will focus its political drive on reaching union members and allies in six “firewall” states – Illinois, California, New York, Ohio, Nevada, and Pennsylvania
– and 20 other battleground states, including Minnesota, he added. It will be involved in 70 U.S. House races, plus at least 330 other Senate races, governorships and even state legislative races.

At a Sept. 1 press conference, Trumka steadfastly declined to say how much the AFL-CIO would spend on politics. Other fed officials previously said the total would equal the $50-million-plus spent in 2006. That does not count spending by the other national labor federation, Change To Win, or individual unions. All political spending is from voluntary contributions, not dues.

But Trumka also predicted that unions, as usual, would be far outspent by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Right-Wing allies. Still, labor’s “boots on the ground” will trump the Right Wing’s air war, he said, adding, “Talking face-to-face is more important.”


FULL story at link.