CWA Leads the Way to Political Wins in Va., Ky., N.J.

CWA members and retirees made a huge difference in key political races this week in Kentucky, Virginia and New Jersey where CWA played a lead role in state campaigns.  

Mike Garkovich, president of CWA Local 3372 in Lexington, Ky., said CWA was one of the earliest supporters of the newly elected governor, Steve Beshear, and running mate Daniel Mongiardo.

"We got behind him early and were determined to turn the political tide in Kentucky," Garkovich said. Beverly Hicks, assistant to the District 3 vice president, coordinated the campaign activities for CWA; three CWAers -- Karen Murphy, District 3; Jan Carol Garkovich, Local 3372, and Matt Skidmore, Local 4400 – worked on the campaign in strategic areas. CWA member volunteers from every local in the state spent many weeks in neighborhood walks and literature drops, phone banking and final get-out-the-vote activities.

CWAers walked precincts every Saturday over the past five weeks, in Ashville, Louisville, Lexington, Somerset and other areas. Others staffed Local 3372's union hall, equipped with extra telephone lines for phone banking, and they were joined by members of the UAW and the Laborers, Garkovich said.

Faye Liebermann, a CWA activist and retired Verizon customer service representative, said she volunteers on political campaigns "to get candidates elected who understand what working families are going through." Affordable health care and prescription drugs are extremely critical issues, "they're the key foundation for basic survival" and Kentucky families need help, she said. "We're already very excited about the 2008 campaign in Kentucky. It's time to ditch Mitch," she said, referring to Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.

It was the support of CWA's top officers that helped make the campaigns so successful, said CWA Political Director Alfonso Pollard. "When President Cohen met with members in Lexington, Kentucky, when EVP Jeff Rechenbach joined walks in Virginia Beach and Newport News, and when Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling met with activists in northern Virginia, the energy level of our members soared, and so did their participation in walks and phone-banking." 

It was CWA that got Virginia on the labor movement's radar screen for Election 2007, Cohen said. Those efforts resulted in Democrats winning four seats and control of the state senate, ending the decade-long dominance by Republicans. Democrats also picked up seats in the state assembly which still has a Republican majority.

Dolores Trevino-Gerber, chairperson of Local 2222's legislative committee, coordinated CWA's efforts, with support from full time field workers Matt Yeargin, Local 2205; Scott Wilson, Local 2252; and Cindy Arrington and Judy Sibley, IUE-CWA Local 82161, and all CWA locals. In northern Virginia, members of Locals 2222 and 2252 staffed phone banks every Thursday evening, and workers at CWA headquarters also volunteered their time, generating 1,105 phone calls to Virginia union members. Throughout the state, CWAers were active. In southwestern Virginia, Locals 2204 and IUE-CWA 82161 did targeted phone banking and joined in neighborhood walks, as did IUE-CWA Local 82162 and in the Newport News-Norfolk area, Locals 2202 and 2205.

Gerber said the walks and phone banks were targeted to the specific districts where labor-supported candidates were strong and where union volunteers' actions could make a real difference. In districts without targeted races, like Richmond, members of CWA Local 2201 joined get-out-the-vote work in Fredericksburg, Prince William County and other locations.

The coordination and cooperation was so strong, Gerber said. Now, "everyone's looking ahead to 2008 and a big senate race. More turnout and more seats – that's the goal for next year," she said.

In New Jersey, 90 percent of CWA-endorsed candidates for the State Senate and Assembly were elected or returned to office. The Democratic majority in the senate grew by one to 23-17. Democrats lost two seats in the assembly but still control the body with a 48-32 margin.

Don Rice, CWA's legislative-political director for New Jersey, said CWA built a long term campaign, starting with an initial voter registration drive months ago, to mailings and worksite leaflets, to phone banks and labor walks and ending with a major get-out-the-vote push on Election Day.

"Locals did their own phone banks and also participated in AFL-CIO phone banking. On Election Day, there were 700 CWAers going door-to-door and working phone banks one last time to get people to the polls," he said.