Why Political Action Matters: Union Members in Political Office Give Working Families a Voice

The late Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill made famous the saying, "All politics is local."

The White House may infuriate you. Congress probably makes your head hurt. But most people don't act until it gets personal —  until, say, federal policies and budget cuts trickle down to your own city, which then has to reduce police and fire services. Or a manufacturing plant that's received millions in local tax breaks decides to pull out and move to Mexico. Or you find out the contractor building your county courthouse uses non-union workers who get no health benefits.

Local politics have a way of making people angry enough to fight back. Citizens turn out for council meetings and organize protests. Some of them even run for office.

Across the country, thousands of union members — including dozens, perhaps hundreds from CWA —  are filling seats on city councils, school boards, county commissions, state legislatures and other elected offices.

CWA boasts a mayor in Santa Fe, a city councilwoman in Detroit, a Washington state legislator, a state senate member in Oklahoma and a congressman, Rep. Gene Green of Texas, among many other members elected or running for state and local seats. Some of them are featured on the following pages.

In fighting for public safety and good student-teacher ratios and the many other issues important to all citizens, union members in office instinctively stand up for workers and working families. They make sure labor has a voice at the table when issues affect employees. They fight for living wage ordinances and against doing business with companies that don't pay their workers fairly.

They can accomplish things at the local level that can't be done as quickly, as efficiently or at all at the national level, depending on how the political winds are blowing.

"Ultimately, what we want are family-friendly legislators at all levels," said David Ratcliff, president of CWA Local 6012 in Tulsa, Okla., where one of his members is running for city council in April. "We want our members to be precinct officers. We want the city council to be family-friendly. We want a labor-friendly mayor. We want labor people in the statehouse."

Gearing Up for Election 2006

For members running for office and those planning to roll up their sleeves and put on their walking shoes for candidates this fall, CWA's annual Legislative-Political Conference in March served as a starter pistol for the election season.

More than 500 local leaders came to Washington, D.C., for the conference, where they heard a parade of impassioned speakers and spent afternoons on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers about working family issues.

Grouped by state, participants met with House and Senate members and their staffs about issues ranging from health care reform to building and reaffirming support for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) to give workers a better chance to organize unions.

Speaking with a group of CWA members from Michigan in her Senate Hart Building office, Sen. Debbie Stabenow pledged her continued support, saying the EFCA "is a fight for our way of life."

Speakers included Sen. John Kerry, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and a host of House members, who told their CWA audience that the long list of anti-worker legislation and budget cuts affecting working families and the poor means union members need to be more involved in politics than ever.

"The greatest thing unions do is lift up the lives of other people," said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). "I come here to encourage you to lead. Lead with the knowledge that what you do today is not just about you. This is bigger than you."

Some people in the crowd are already leading locally, serving on school boards, town councils and other elected and appointed offices. Ken Saether, president of CWA Local 7906 in Oregon, has run once and plans to run again this year for a school board seat, inspired by CWA's concern for all working people, not just union members. "That's the best part of CWA," Saether said. "It's not selfish. We look out for everybody."

Progressive change in the November midterm elections can happen with strong voter turnout and a labor campaign that reaches all working families, CWA participants and speakers said.

"Walking and talking to members is key," said Sandra Carter, legislative chair for Local 9417 in Stockton, Calif., where they've been fighting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's anti-worker agenda and will work to defeat him this fall. "We learned that 11 different contacts are needed in order to get someone to vote. That's 11 contacts —  brochures, handouts, phone calls, more phone calls, and you have to do it. Then you still have to go back to members to get them to turn out to vote. We learned that last minute contacts alone don't work."

Action Through State Councils

One way CWA leaders are preparing for election this season is through the expansion of state councils, bringing together locals to work on state issues and fight for candidates who support labor issues. Five activists involved in state councils spoke about building and using them effectively: Local 2004 Vice President David Fox of West Virginia; Tim Lovaasen of Local 7200, president of the Minnesota State Council; retiree Dally Willis of Texas; Ann McNeary of Local 4671, chair of the Wisconsin Political Council; and Local 3212 Executive Vice President David Pilgrem of Georgia.

"Together we've pooled our resources," said Lovaasen, whose Minnesota council includes locals from all CWA sectors. "In 2004, we had a tremendous impact."

Willis said the council is so active in his state that "there's not a single lawmaker in Texas that doesn't know about CWA."

In addition to Kerry, Pelosi and Dean, other conference speakers included Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.), Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-Ohio), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Maryland Speaker of the General Assembly Michael Busch.

CWA President Larry Cohen said the conference — co-chaired by CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling and Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach — was all about what CWA and its members stand for, as opposed to George W. Bush's ownership society, "which is only about what we own."

"America is at a turning point," Cohen said, "and our work this week can be part of that turning point."