| IBEW
Gears Up for November Elections With Mobilization 2004
June 2004 IBEW Journal
When a sports team wins a hard-fought
game with skill, heart and soul, commentators say: "They
left it all on the field." The 2004 presidential
campaign is a high stakes contest that will require
the skill, heart and soul of thousands of IBEW members.
The IBEW has developed an unprecedented grassroots
structure to "leave it all on the field" in
the fight to improve the lives of Americas working
families this November. The game plan is called Mobilization
2004.
Change in America starts at the top. Americas working
families have been deeply hurt by the policies of this
administration. The Presidents Council of Economic
Advisors actually praises the "outsourcing"
and "free trade" agreements that have contributed
to the loss of 2.8 million jobs and a $529 billion trade
deficit. In April, the administration rejected the AFL-CIOs
petition calling for trade sanctions on China for widespread
violations of workers rights that have led to the export
of U.S. jobs. Elderly Americans, burdened by medical
bills, are prevented from importing lower cost pharmaceuticals
from Canada.
The administration claims to practice "compassionate
conservatism." College grant programs and funds
for schools attended by military children are being
cut while wealthy Americans receive fat tax breaks.
The administration has shown open hostility to labor
unions. They are moving to cut overtime compensation
to millions of workers and to deny collective bargaining
rights to Defense Department workers (under the guise
of homeland security). They opposed project labor agreements
(PLAs) that have provided major benefits to construction
trades until our unions lobbied successfully to stop
them in their tracks. There is a longer list of cases
where this administration has left working people holding
the short end of the stick and you can read it at
www.ibew.org.
Our members need to pick up the ball if we are truly
interested in creating a brighter future for the majority
of Americans this November.
A coordinated effort is vital, but a few coordinators
and International staff cant get this job done alone.
Campaigns are only successful if they are built block
by block where most Americans live and work. Years of
experience have shown that the best work in a political
campaign is the worker-to-worker, on the job, at the
ball game, grassroots, brass tacks, "read this
flyer, dont forget to vote" approach. Thats what
Mobilization 2004 is designed to do.
Formula
for Victory
The IBEWs online Members Community is already posting
hard-hitting campaign materials from the AFL-CIO Working
Families Toolkit. This web-based program is producing
a steady stream of camera-ready leaflets that can be
downloaded, customized and reproduced by members for
circulation on the job and in the neighborhood. Cartoons
and newsletter articles are also available to help the
sharpen member education effort. To get materials on
line, go to www.workingfamiliestoolkit.com
and click on "New User" registration.
President Hill has appointed Edwin Lopez, a staff member
of Local 3 in New York City, as national coordinator
for the 2004 campaign.
Statewide coordinators will work directly with Lopez
to implement the Mobilization 2004 plan, particularly
in the critical battleground states. (See Box"Join
the Mobilization 2004 Online") To reach union "swing
voters," the IBEW plans to focus on issues, rather
than personalities. Members have been approached by
phone and mail about issues such as the overtime pay
takeaway issue or the outsourcing of U.S. jobs.
The 10 Point AFL-CIO Program has been modified and
strengthened for the 2004 campaign. (See Box"The
AFL-CIO 10 Point Program")
The IBEW has developed a Grand Slam pin to be awarded
to all members who: (1) are registered to vote and have
voted in past elections (2) are regular contributors
to IBEW-PAC (3) are IBEW e-mail activists (4) participate
in Mobilization 2004.
"Our
very existence as union members with the ability to
work, win good contracts, send our children to decent
schools is at stake. Four more years of unaccountability
to working people by leaders in Washington, D.C. will
put everything that we now enjoy in jeopardy. This election
for us as workers is about building a grassroots movement
to defend and extend the legacy of the labor movement.
Grassroots means our grandmothers, our brothers and
sisters, our communities and all working families. Movement
means now!"
Edwin
D. Hill
IBEW International President
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