NOV. 19, 2010:NWLP
11/16/10
9:27 AM
Page 2
Labor vote ...Voters punished Dems, but no mandate for GOP
makes the
difference
in tight races
(From Page 1)
Organized labor’s get-out-the-vote
campaign propelled Democrat John
Kitzhaber to the governor’s mansion in
Oregon. By the narrowest of margins,
Kitzhaber, an emergency room doctor
who served two terms as governor from
1995-2003, defeated political new-
comer Chris Dudley, a former NBA
basketball player, 49 percent to 48 per-
cent.
Kitzhaber was endorsed by virtually
every labor organization in the state.
According to Oregon AFL-CIO
President Tom Chamberlain, labor
unions — including community affili-
ate Working America and Change to
Win’s Service Employees International
Union and United Food and Commer-
cial Workers Local 555, but not the Car-
penters or Teamsters unions — repre-
sent the third-largest voting bloc in the
state, with 350,000 members. Cham-
berlain said union families turned out
for the midterms at a higher rate than
the general population. Unofficially,
voter turnout in Oregon was 71 percent.
Union family turnout was estimated to
be 79 percent.
“Historically, polling after the elec-
tion reveals that union and Working
America families vote for their unions’
endorsed candidates 75 percent of the
time,” Chamberlain said.
Kitzhaber won by fewer than 20,000
votes out of nearly 1.4 million ballots
cast.
Labor-endorsed candidates also
fared quite well down the ticket.
All of the state labor federation’s en-
dorsed federal and statewide candidates
won, including Ted Wheeler for state
treasurer and Susan Castillo for super-
intendent of public instruction (in the
May primary).
Sen. Ron Wyden will return to a
Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate;
however, re-elected congressmen David
Wu, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio
the economy and create jobs. It wasn’t a mandate for
the policies most Republicans campaigned on.”
The Hart poll backs up that assertion, because it
shows that most voters, even those voting Republican,
weren’t familiar with the Republican agenda. In the
poll, 67 percent said they knew little or nothing about
the Republican agenda or plans, as outlined in docu-
ments like “A Pledge to
America.” Even among
those who voted for the
Republican, 64 percent
said they knew little or
nothing about the Repub-
lican agenda.
And, when asked
about several specific pro-
posals Republicans have
made, majorities in the
poll said they would op-
pose them:
• 66 percent were
against cutting taxes on those making more than
$250,000 a year;
• 67 percent of voters, and 55 percent of Republi-
can voters, were against repealing the recent Wall
Street financial regulation law; and
• 88 percent of voters, and 83 percent of Republi-
can voters, were against repealing the part of the health
insurance reform that prevents insurance companies
from denying coverage to those with pre-existing con-
ditions.
On the other hand, when asked about specific eco-
nomic proposals that the AFL-CIO has pushed for,
majorities said they would support those proposals: 77
percent were in favor of investing in rebuilding roads,
bridges, schools, and energy systems as a way to cre-
ate jobs, and 65 percent favor continuing federal un-
employment insurance benefits for jobless Americans.
And voters were more concerned that Democrats
and President Obama have done too much to help
banks and Wall Street (43 percent) than that they have
imposed too many regulations on business (34 per-
cent).
The second nationwide poll, of 807 AFL-CIO-af-
filiate union members who
voted, demonstrated once
again that union members
were much more likely than
other voters to vote Demo-
cratic. For U.S. House races,
64 percent of union mem-
bers voted for the Democrat,
compared with 45 percent
for the public at large.
Molyneux said union
voters were better informed,
and he attributed that to
unions contacting members
at home and on the job. Of the union members polled,
74 percent said they got election information from a
union newspaper, magazine, or newsletter; 72 percent
from a union mailer to their home; 48 percent from a
recorded phone call; 37 a live phone call; 25 percent a
flier at work; 25 percent from e-mail; 15 percent were
contacted by a steward or other member at work; 11
percent visited a union web site, and 8 percent got in-
person contact from a union member at home.
But the polls also showed that one group of voters
was especially unhappy with the Democrats: the white
working class. In the swing district poll, 58 percent of
white non-college-educated voters chose the Republi-
can U.S. House candidate; and the figure was 67 per-
Of the union members
polled, 74 percent said
they got election
information from a union
newspaper, magazine, or
newsletter.
cent for white men without a college degree.
Union membership lessened but did not erase the
trend: Across the country, 50 percent of white non-col-
lege graduate union members voted Republican.
The survey had a margin of error of ±3.5 percent-
age points. More details of the poll results are available
at nwlaborpress.org.
Though the party in charge of the U.S. House will
change in January, Trumka said the union agenda will
remain the same.
“Our agenda is jobs, jobs, jobs, and we’ll be push-
ing everybody, including the new Republican majority
to create jobs. And if they do create jobs, we will stand
with them.”
‘Leave a light on’ for
your letter carrier
The National Association of Letter Carriers has
initiated a safety and customer service campaign.
“Leave the Light on For Your Letter Carrier” is a re-
minder that mail may be delivered after dark this fall
and winter.
The Letter Carriers’ union wants postal customers
to understand that the change from daylight saving
time means letter carriers are delivering mail after
darkness begins.
Jim Cook, president of Portland-based NALC
Branch 82, said “Letter Carriers want to deliver mail
earlier for the best customer service possible. However,
sometimes we must deliver your mail later and we ask
customers to help by keeping dogs restrained and
porch lights on where there is door-to-door delivery.”
(Turn to Page 6)
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NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NOVEMBER 19, 2010