Labor For Congresswoman Betty Sutton

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Sutton / Potter, Unions
• Date: Jun 17,2008

Monday evening I attended a fundraiser for Congresswoman Betty Sutton at Laborers Local 894 Hall here in Akron. It was beer, hot dogs, and Democrat politics. Labor events tend have a friendly and lively room. People were shaking hands, giving hugs, and a laughing a lot. Everybody seems to know each other and if they don't know you they introduce themselves. There were elected officials, aspiring candidates, and a variety of local labor leaders all working the room. These people were maintaining old relationships and building new ones. It was fun to take it all in.

Congresswoman Sutton gave a very comfortable and compelling speech. It allowed her to showcase her understanding of the issues important to labor and Democrats. She talked about her recent move to increase funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to provide temporary relief for those hit hardest by this economy. She also discussed her participation in a hearing on the growing problem of subprime lending and foreclosures in Ohio. She also got a lot of applause when she touched on some of the issues that she has been working on while in Congress to help the efforts of organized labor. People were smiling and clapping in approval of their Congresswoman. That kind of support is important to Congresswoman Sutton because labor union members do a lot of the work necessary to win campaigns. They make phone calls, canvass neighborhoods, distribute yard signs, walk in parades, and do a host of other volunteer tasks to help their endorsed candidates win which can prove to be a difference maker in November.

AFL - CIO Hitting Ohio Streets This Weekend

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Unions
• Date: Jun 6,2008

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations will be mobilizing several canvassing campaigns this weekend across the State of Ohio. The purpose of the outreach is to connect with working families and help inform them of the efforts of the union. These efforts are a part of a week long nation wide campaign called "We Are Working America." In Cleveland, Congressman Dennis Kucinich will hold a rally for Health Care, Jobs and the Economy and then join the union's canvassing efforts after. In Columbus, Mary Jo Kilroy, who is the Democratic Candidate for Ohio's 15th Congressional District, will hold a rally and then go canvassing with the union. In Cincinnati, State Treasurer Richard Cordray, State Representative Steve Driehaus will also hold a rally and then hit the streets.

The Ohio AFL - CIO expects Working America, the AFL-CIO's community affiliate alone is expected to have 800,000 people. In total, they are expecting to have over 2 million AFL-CIO members in Ohio by labor day. It is a large block of people made up of a long list of unions. More importantly, these are people active in federal, state, and local politics. Within the Democratic Party, unions like the AFL-CIO provide substantial support for political campaigns. They open their labor halls for rallies, phone banking, meeting space, yard sign distribution, volunteer organization, and countless other tasks. Union members themselves do a lot of work for the Democratic Party by volunteering their time and donating money. The leadership of these unions are also very politically sophisticated, experienced, and connected. In an election year like this, a union like the AFL-CIO will have their own political operatives working hard in Ohio to help get the candidates they support elected. The canvassing efforts tomorrow are a good example.