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CWA, Working Families Win Big on Election Day
It was a clean sweep at the polls, Nov. 8, as working families lifted their candidates to victory in races for the only two open governors seats in New Jersey and Virginia and defeated a rash of anti-worker propositions on a special election ballot in California.
Democrat Jon Corzine defeated Republican Doug Forrester in the New Jersey governor's race; Tim Kaine (D) defeated Jerry Kilgore (R) to become the next governor of Virginia; and Proposition 75 - a measure backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to silence the political voice of public employee unions - went down in defeat in California.
Hundreds of CWA members worked countless hours alongside other union members in all three campaigns, phone banking, precinct walking and participating in other get-out-the-vote activities coordinated by their AFL-CIO state federations and central labor councils.
Union activists made other gains in state and local races across the nation, including Detroit, Mich., where CWA Local 4004 President Brenda Jones won one of nine city council seats in a citywide race.
Speaking on behalf of President Larry Cohen and Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling as well as himself, CWA Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach praised the hard work and activism of all involved.
"We know efforts like this don't come easily," Rechenbach said. "They take leadership, hard work and coordination, work that is dependent on each of you in your role as a leader of this union.
"Thanks for your tremendous work. It was a great night and I hope a harbinger of what is to come in 2006."
Proposition 75 would have required California public employee unions to obtain written permission from each member annually to use dues money for political purposes and would have imposed onerous record-keeping and reporting responsibilities on locals.
Opinion polls early on showed Proposition 75 holding a 32-point advantage among voters, 55-23 percent. Yet, after union activists explained to other union members and the public how the measure would have weakened the ability of working people to speak out through their unions, it lost by six percentage points, along with three other ballot initiatives: Proposition 74, to make teachers work longer to achieve tenure; Proposition 76, to slow the growth of state spending; and Proposition 77, which would have redrawn legislative and congressional districts.
More than 400,000 members of union households and 50,000 new members of Working America - the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO - were a deciding factor in the Virginia governor's race, a state President Bush carried easily just a year ago.
Several CWA members worked in the AFL-CIO's "member-to-member" campaign in Virginia. Charles Buttiglieri, assistant to District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci, said all of the Virginia locals pitched in, with a major focus in the Northern Virginia, Roanoke, Tidewater and Richmond areas. IUE-CWA and AFA-CWA locals played a big role in Roanoke in particular.
Kaine, who was lieutenant governor under Warner, overcame personal attacks on his religious beliefs and being labeled "a liberal" in a state known for its political conservatism, defeating Kilgore by 52 percent to 46 percent of the vote, with 2 percent going to a third party candidate.
In New Jersey, Sen. Jon Corzine (D) defeated Douglas Forrester (R) for governor by a margin of 11 percentage points. Leaving his senate seat after five years to take the governor's chair, Corzine will presumably pick a successor who is also friendly to working families. As many as 1,100 CWA members took to the streets each day during Corzine's campaign, part of the 10,000 mobilized by the state AFL-CIO.
Bob Master, District 1 area director for politics/legislation and mobilization, said locals throughout the state made a tremendous effort and noted a particularly high percentage of member participation from relatively small locals.
In Detroit, Jones first survived a primary of 125 candidates running for city council. With the help of CWA locals, putting together a strong grassroots coalition, she went on to become one of nine winning seats out of a field of 18 candidates.
Democrat Jon Corzine defeated Republican Doug Forrester in the New Jersey governor's race; Tim Kaine (D) defeated Jerry Kilgore (R) to become the next governor of Virginia; and Proposition 75 - a measure backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to silence the political voice of public employee unions - went down in defeat in California.
Hundreds of CWA members worked countless hours alongside other union members in all three campaigns, phone banking, precinct walking and participating in other get-out-the-vote activities coordinated by their AFL-CIO state federations and central labor councils.
Union activists made other gains in state and local races across the nation, including Detroit, Mich., where CWA Local 4004 President Brenda Jones won one of nine city council seats in a citywide race.
Speaking on behalf of President Larry Cohen and Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling as well as himself, CWA Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach praised the hard work and activism of all involved.
"We know efforts like this don't come easily," Rechenbach said. "They take leadership, hard work and coordination, work that is dependent on each of you in your role as a leader of this union.
"Thanks for your tremendous work. It was a great night and I hope a harbinger of what is to come in 2006."
Proposition 75 would have required California public employee unions to obtain written permission from each member annually to use dues money for political purposes and would have imposed onerous record-keeping and reporting responsibilities on locals.
Opinion polls early on showed Proposition 75 holding a 32-point advantage among voters, 55-23 percent. Yet, after union activists explained to other union members and the public how the measure would have weakened the ability of working people to speak out through their unions, it lost by six percentage points, along with three other ballot initiatives: Proposition 74, to make teachers work longer to achieve tenure; Proposition 76, to slow the growth of state spending; and Proposition 77, which would have redrawn legislative and congressional districts.
More than 400,000 members of union households and 50,000 new members of Working America - the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO - were a deciding factor in the Virginia governor's race, a state President Bush carried easily just a year ago.
Several CWA members worked in the AFL-CIO's "member-to-member" campaign in Virginia. Charles Buttiglieri, assistant to District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci, said all of the Virginia locals pitched in, with a major focus in the Northern Virginia, Roanoke, Tidewater and Richmond areas. IUE-CWA and AFA-CWA locals played a big role in Roanoke in particular.
Kaine, who was lieutenant governor under Warner, overcame personal attacks on his religious beliefs and being labeled "a liberal" in a state known for its political conservatism, defeating Kilgore by 52 percent to 46 percent of the vote, with 2 percent going to a third party candidate.
In New Jersey, Sen. Jon Corzine (D) defeated Douglas Forrester (R) for governor by a margin of 11 percentage points. Leaving his senate seat after five years to take the governor's chair, Corzine will presumably pick a successor who is also friendly to working families. As many as 1,100 CWA members took to the streets each day during Corzine's campaign, part of the 10,000 mobilized by the state AFL-CIO.
Bob Master, District 1 area director for politics/legislation and mobilization, said locals throughout the state made a tremendous effort and noted a particularly high percentage of member participation from relatively small locals.
In Detroit, Jones first survived a primary of 125 candidates running for city council. With the help of CWA locals, putting together a strong grassroots coalition, she went on to become one of nine winning seats out of a field of 18 candidates.