Union Activists Seek Votes--for Labor Issues
Organized labor has long used its fund-raising and phone-banking muscle to support certain candidates. But this political season, Orange County union activists are launching a new preelection drive.
Called “Worker to Worker,” dozens of members from unions throughout the county are knocking on homes in the blue-collar 69th Assembly District, which includes Santa Ana, Anaheim and Garden Grove. The purpose: to talk about labor issues--not the candidates.
The issues that most frequently come up are job security, health care and workplace safety, says Bill Fogarty, head of the Orange County Central Labor Council. Fogarty says the short-term goal is to reach 12,000 households and encourage people to vote.
And the long-term goal? “It’s organizing,” he says. “We’re here for the duration in the county, and this is one way to do it.”
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