Ramp up to Election Day puts PEF activists in high gear


By SHERRY HALBROOK With the presidency, all of New York’s


congressional representation except for one US Senate seat, and the entire state Legislature on the line in the November 6 general election, PEF activists were pulling out all of the stops throughout October to support the union’s endorsed candidates. PEF mailed information to its


members about endorsed candidates in tight races and organized phone banks of volunteers to call them. Volunteers canvassed union households on behalf of candidates and some traveled to nearby swing states to visit union members there. The American Federation of Teachers


paid for two PEF retirees to travel to Ohio to work for the re-election of President Barack Obama. Delegates to the PEF convention in


Syracuse made 1,500 calls to PEF members in central New York on behalf of Dan Maffei, who is running in the 24th Congressional District (CD) and Al Stirpe in the 127th Assembly District (AD). Maffei addressed the


convention, stating, “We need to balance the (federal) budget the right way, where everybody pays their fair share.” The candidate said he opposes tax breaks for corporations that move jobs overseas, and said the U.S. should invest in education from pre-school through college, scientific research, and infrastructure, such as highways, high- speed rail, improved air service and broadband internet access, while reducing spending by bringing its troops home. “Our military’s job should not be to


MAFFEI


build nations in other places,” Maffei said. He also said, “The private sector and the public sector need each other, and should work together to protect social programs such as Medicare and retirement security.” Another PEF-endorsed congressional


candidate, Nate Shinagawa addressed the convention. He is running in the 23rd CD which encompasses all or parts of five PEF regions in central and southwestern


Page 12—The Communicator November 2012 SHINAGAWA


New York. He enthralled delegates with his dynamic style, and told them he cannot understand why some Republican candidates attack public employees. Shinagawa told how


after California cut spending for special education, his Korean- born mother moved her


family to New York in hopes of finding services for a child with special needs. The Northeast Elementary School


where his brother enrolled not only provided the services he needed, Shinagawa said, it taught him the skills and knowledge he needs to succeed academically. “That school didn’t just save my


brother’s life, it saved my mother’s life, too. In fact, it saved our entire family. It was public employees and government that saved my family!” Shinagawa said. PEF conducted a workshop on labor


and political action for the delegates. Guest presenter Mark Brenner of Labor Notes joined PEF Vice President Wayne Bayer and PEF’s legislative staff in conducting the workshop. Brenner


recommended several steps for union activists to take. These include admitting you have a problem, such as


politicians who have been willing to shift the tax burden from corporations and the rich onto everyone else, and shift the blame for the recession from those who actually caused it onto government and public employees. You also must be willing to, “Just say no,” when those politicians ask for your support. “If you lie down with dogs,” Brenner


warned, “you get fleas.” He also urged unions to “Quit the


financial arms race,” because business interests can and are spending $25 for every dollar workers and unions spend to influence elections. “If it’s about dollar-for-dollar, we’re not


even in the game,” Brenner said. “They have money, we have people.” He said it’s time for labor “to


experiment. We’re coloring too much inside the lines. We need to make our work relevant to people who aren’t in unions, especially young people. Make political campaigns about the advantages of such things as safe staffing and singlepayer health care.” He advised unions to “Grow your own candidates. You have enough members in some localities to be a threat.“ Brenner cited the examples of the


Occupy Movement and of Wisconsin where the tremendous response to attacks on public employees’ bargaining rights stimulated national debate. “Wisconsin got the whole country


BRENNER


talking about what collective bargaining is. Their actions completely changed how people were looking at things. We must get people to recognize what’s at stake,” Brenner said. “Actions speak much louder than words.”


members and staff who work hard to help the union succeed.


May you have a gracious and happy


Thanksgiving PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445 express their thanks to all of the The officers of PEF


POLITICAL ACTION


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