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Election 2004: Despite Heartbreaking Loss Fight for Working Families Goes On
If union families alone had decided the 2004 election, John Kerry would have won by a landslide.
Labor's most active get-out-the-vote campaign ever, coupled with deep concerns about soaring health care costs, job losses, the skyrocketing deficit, the future of Social Security and more, drove union members to the polls in record numbers. Exit polls show they voted 2-1 for Kerry-Edwards.
"The issues John Kerry and John Edwards raised are more important than ever," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "We are very disappointed, but we can and must regroup and be ready to fight for jobs, for our right to organize, for affordable, quality health care and retirement security."
He said the Bush campaign persuaded many Americans to vote against their best economic interests by exploiting fears about terrorism, grossly distorting Kerry's pro-military voting record and his heroic service in Vietnam, and deriding his values.
"Make no mistake: John Kerry, fellow Democrats and our union care every bit as much about national security and fighting terrorism as Republicans do," Bahr said. "But we understand that national security also means economic security, and family values mean family-wage jobs with 40-hour workweeks that allow parents to spend quality time with their children."
Bahr also praised CWA members and staff who participated in the union's largest political mobilization and election support campaign ever.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the "breathtakingly close" election "is clearly no conservative mandate for our nation," and pledged that labor will continue to combat policies that encourage outsourcing, threaten Social Security and reward drug companies and insurers at the expense of badly needed health care reform.
In a gracious, nearly tearful concession speech Nov. 3, Kerry promised to fight as hard as ever in the U.S. Senate for working families. But he also called for healing, and said he spoke to President Bush about it in a concession phone call earlier.
"America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion," he said. "I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan divide."
Record Turnout
Polls show that union households accounted for 27 million voters, one out of every four. Union voters backed John Kerry by a 65-33 margin, according to election night polling commissioned by the AFL-CIO, and the support was even higher - 68-31 - in battleground states. Union leaders attribute the high level of participation and overwhelming support for Kerry-Edwards to the vigorous campaign efforts by CWA and the rest of the labor community.
"I could not possibly be prouder of our members, officers and staff," Bahr said. "The election's outcome doesn't change the fact that our union's effort on behalf of all working families was extraordinary."
CWA was the biggest volunteer union in Nevada, with hundreds of CWAers from California coming in week after week to help with get-out-the-vote activities. CWA also took the lead in North Carolina and Colorado and sponsored big political support programs in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, Alaska and other states.
Beginning early this year, CWA coordinators were on the ground in Oregon and Washington, and a few months later, were also in place in Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Arizona and other states. AFA-CWA members and staff worked closely with CWAers and were active in Arizona, Washington State and other areas.
CWA members from New York and Washington, D.C., poured into Pennsylvania and Ohio to leaflet, knock on doors and register voters. Thousands of others spent hours making phone calls to union homes, asking voters to support John Kerry and reminding them to vote.
Overall, union members knocked on more than 6 million doors, passed out over 32 million leaflets and made over a 100 million phone calls, the AFL-CIO said.
Polls showed that 92 percent of union members heard from their unions during the election cycle, and 81 percent of those had at least three contacts - by mail, e-mail, phone calls, hand bills or personal visits.
In addition to union efforts, the AFL-CIO's new national organization for working people, Working America, grew to 750,000 members during the campaign, and reached out to more than 1 million non-union households.
Republican Gains in Senate, House
Despite the outpouring of labor support, Republicans gained seats in both the Senate and House. The final Senate tally of 55 Republicans, 44 Democrats and 1 Independent, an increase of 4 Republican seats, included the defeat of Senator Tom Daschle who served as Democratic leader. The likely House breakdown will have 231 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent with runoff elections for two seats to be held next month in Louisiana. That makes a pickup of 4 Republican seats.
But there were some victories. Democrat Ken Salazar beat Republican beer company heir Pete Coors for a U.S. Senate seat in Colorado. In Illinois, rising Democratic star Barack Obama won his Senate seat over Republican Alan Keyes with a whopping 70 percent of the votes cast.
Democrats in Colorado also took back both their state House and Senate, making it the first time since 1960 that the full legislature has been in the party's control. Democrats also won a tie in the Iowa Senate and broke a tie in the Oregon Senate. In Minnesota, the GOP still controls the state legislature, but Democrats reduced the Republicans' 30-seat advantage to a mere two seats, 68-66, with the possibility that a recount could result in a 67-67 tie.
Union members and other activists worked hard on House, Senate and local campaigns, as well as the race for the White House, and tried to raise awareness of issues as much as candidates.
Creative efforts included "pink slip" events in states such as Florida, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New York, where hundreds of activists lined up along roads and outside employment offices holding up pink slips symbolizing lost jobs. In Michigan, activists dressed up as milk cartons with slogans reading "Missing: My Job." In Oregon and Washington, lemonade stands touted the "middle-class squeeze." And union women across the country wrote hundreds of personal letters to union women in swing states, making personal appeals for them to vote for Kerry.
"Every single union committed more staff, mobilized more volunteers and reached out further through their locals and worksites than ever before," Sweeney said. "We're going to take that energy, momentum, technology and field operation and start right now building a movement that will keep turning this country around."
Labor's most active get-out-the-vote campaign ever, coupled with deep concerns about soaring health care costs, job losses, the skyrocketing deficit, the future of Social Security and more, drove union members to the polls in record numbers. Exit polls show they voted 2-1 for Kerry-Edwards.
"The issues John Kerry and John Edwards raised are more important than ever," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "We are very disappointed, but we can and must regroup and be ready to fight for jobs, for our right to organize, for affordable, quality health care and retirement security."
He said the Bush campaign persuaded many Americans to vote against their best economic interests by exploiting fears about terrorism, grossly distorting Kerry's pro-military voting record and his heroic service in Vietnam, and deriding his values.
"Make no mistake: John Kerry, fellow Democrats and our union care every bit as much about national security and fighting terrorism as Republicans do," Bahr said. "But we understand that national security also means economic security, and family values mean family-wage jobs with 40-hour workweeks that allow parents to spend quality time with their children."
Bahr also praised CWA members and staff who participated in the union's largest political mobilization and election support campaign ever.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the "breathtakingly close" election "is clearly no conservative mandate for our nation," and pledged that labor will continue to combat policies that encourage outsourcing, threaten Social Security and reward drug companies and insurers at the expense of badly needed health care reform.
In a gracious, nearly tearful concession speech Nov. 3, Kerry promised to fight as hard as ever in the U.S. Senate for working families. But he also called for healing, and said he spoke to President Bush about it in a concession phone call earlier.
"America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion," he said. "I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan divide."
Record Turnout
Polls show that union households accounted for 27 million voters, one out of every four. Union voters backed John Kerry by a 65-33 margin, according to election night polling commissioned by the AFL-CIO, and the support was even higher - 68-31 - in battleground states. Union leaders attribute the high level of participation and overwhelming support for Kerry-Edwards to the vigorous campaign efforts by CWA and the rest of the labor community.
"I could not possibly be prouder of our members, officers and staff," Bahr said. "The election's outcome doesn't change the fact that our union's effort on behalf of all working families was extraordinary."
CWA was the biggest volunteer union in Nevada, with hundreds of CWAers from California coming in week after week to help with get-out-the-vote activities. CWA also took the lead in North Carolina and Colorado and sponsored big political support programs in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, Alaska and other states.
Beginning early this year, CWA coordinators were on the ground in Oregon and Washington, and a few months later, were also in place in Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Arizona and other states. AFA-CWA members and staff worked closely with CWAers and were active in Arizona, Washington State and other areas.
CWA members from New York and Washington, D.C., poured into Pennsylvania and Ohio to leaflet, knock on doors and register voters. Thousands of others spent hours making phone calls to union homes, asking voters to support John Kerry and reminding them to vote.
Overall, union members knocked on more than 6 million doors, passed out over 32 million leaflets and made over a 100 million phone calls, the AFL-CIO said.
Polls showed that 92 percent of union members heard from their unions during the election cycle, and 81 percent of those had at least three contacts - by mail, e-mail, phone calls, hand bills or personal visits.
In addition to union efforts, the AFL-CIO's new national organization for working people, Working America, grew to 750,000 members during the campaign, and reached out to more than 1 million non-union households.
Republican Gains in Senate, House
Despite the outpouring of labor support, Republicans gained seats in both the Senate and House. The final Senate tally of 55 Republicans, 44 Democrats and 1 Independent, an increase of 4 Republican seats, included the defeat of Senator Tom Daschle who served as Democratic leader. The likely House breakdown will have 231 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent with runoff elections for two seats to be held next month in Louisiana. That makes a pickup of 4 Republican seats.
But there were some victories. Democrat Ken Salazar beat Republican beer company heir Pete Coors for a U.S. Senate seat in Colorado. In Illinois, rising Democratic star Barack Obama won his Senate seat over Republican Alan Keyes with a whopping 70 percent of the votes cast.
Democrats in Colorado also took back both their state House and Senate, making it the first time since 1960 that the full legislature has been in the party's control. Democrats also won a tie in the Iowa Senate and broke a tie in the Oregon Senate. In Minnesota, the GOP still controls the state legislature, but Democrats reduced the Republicans' 30-seat advantage to a mere two seats, 68-66, with the possibility that a recount could result in a 67-67 tie.
Union members and other activists worked hard on House, Senate and local campaigns, as well as the race for the White House, and tried to raise awareness of issues as much as candidates.
Creative efforts included "pink slip" events in states such as Florida, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New York, where hundreds of activists lined up along roads and outside employment offices holding up pink slips symbolizing lost jobs. In Michigan, activists dressed up as milk cartons with slogans reading "Missing: My Job." In Oregon and Washington, lemonade stands touted the "middle-class squeeze." And union women across the country wrote hundreds of personal letters to union women in swing states, making personal appeals for them to vote for Kerry.
"Every single union committed more staff, mobilized more volunteers and reached out further through their locals and worksites than ever before," Sweeney said. "We're going to take that energy, momentum, technology and field operation and start right now building a movement that will keep turning this country around."