North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor

Labor’s Efforts Pay Off – Kucinich Keeps Seat

Cleveland, OH – March 5, 2008 -- The North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor is thrilled to see our endorsed candidate – Dennis Kucinich – prevail in the March 4th Primary. “Dennis has fought for us for all these years and we feel honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to fight for him,” said Harriet Applegate, Executive Secretary of the labor organization. “His victory speaks volumes about how much the constituents of the 10th Congressional District value their congressman,” she continued. “Kucinich has shown courage and integrity in his public service; we in labor honor those qualities and believe these qualities make him an excellent congressman. Now we see that his constituents feel the same way.”

“Despite the battering he received throughout this campaign and despite the barrage of candidates, we learned in call-after-call in our phone bank that our members -- his constituents -- supported his work and wouldn’t dream of deserting him,” she added. “Our members take a longer view than ‘what have you done for me lately?’ said Jim Goggin, who headed up the effort from the Building Trades. “They look at what he has done over the years and they see that Dennis is our man. It’s as simple as that.”

The North Shore AFL-CIO conducted phone banks in which nearly 30,000 union households were contacted; 21,000 pieces of mail were sent from the Federation offices and many unions sent letters to their own members; five walks were conducted – two from the Campaign HQ, one from Laborers Local 310, one from Steelworkers Local 979 and one from UAW Local 1250. Leaflets were distributed at worksites, articles appeared in newsletters; in short we made every effort to communicate with our members about this important race.

“We are especially thrilled that all of the various sectors of labor came together to support Dennis,” concluded Applegate. “The UAW, AFL-CIO and the Teamsters were shoulder to shoulder and the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win unions worked together seamlessly to fight for Dennis. We’re hoping that this unity carries us through the November election and beyond. That kind of Solidarity is what the labor movement is all about.”