Labor ramps up GOTV effort in VA

With just over a week to go before Election Day, nearly 100 union volunteers packed the offices of the Northern Virginia Labor Federation last Saturday to work the phones and knock doors for union-endorsed candidates from Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ralph Northam on down the ballot. “In these partisan times, union volunteers are the most effective way to reach union members and families, because the labor movement itself is increasingly independent and nonpartisan,” said Ginny Diamond, president of the northern Virginia labor federation. This weekend will see a final flurry of labor political activism before Virginia heads to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7 to elect the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor and legislators. To RSVP call Tom Thompson at 317-331-3423. Last Saturday’s walk was sponsored by Painters District Council 51. The volunteers included members of 17 unions, including the Carpenters, AFGE, AFT, AFSCME, ATU, CWA, IATSE, IAFF, IBEW, IUOE, IUPAT, NATCA, OPEIU, UA, UAW, UFCW and the Writers’ Guild. The members knocked on 457 doors in four different house district races and spoke to 107 union members by telephone.
- report/photos by Robert Struckman

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