The AFT is punching the accelerator—aiming for the checkered flags up and down the ballot—as campaign 2016 heads into the finish. From the Southwest to the Northeast, AFT volunteers have been a force at union phone banks, town halls, rallies and other events aimed at turning out early votes and decisive, labor-friendly results on Nov. 8.
AFT leaders, members and activists have been stalwarts at canvassing on evenings and weekends, as well, working neighborhood by neighborhood to elect Hillary Clinton as the nation’s first woman president and to secure a Congress that’s dialed in to Main Street priorities and a working partnership in Washington, rather than the stalemate and partisan obstruction that has stymied progress for years. “ ’Stronger together,’ is not just a saying,” AFT President Randi Weingarten reminded one Milwaukee audience this month. “When we work together to solve problems, we truly are stronger.”
That message has big implications, particularly in a campaign where one presidential contender has openly called into question the integrity of our national democratic exercise. It has been at the core of the appeal delivered by Weingarten and other national union officers, who have crisscrossed the nation over several weeks to spur grass-roots AFT political action, a big turnout, and a dialogue around key issues among voters. And it has been delivered in tandem with another core message: Ignore the polls and work like we’re 10 points behind, from now through the election.
In Illinois, for example, Weingarten joined U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who is making a strong bid for the U.S. Senate, in a question-and-answer session that focused on college affordability and access. Duckworth explained that ultra-partisanship itself is often the danger in a Congress where GOP leaders still adhere to the so-called Hastert rule, which enables them to prevent votes and hearings on any bills that could only pass the House with bipartisan support. That informal “rule” has stalled action on a raft of issues, from gun safety and immigration reform to college affordability, said Duckworth, pointing to a bottled-up bill she co-sponsored that would provide debt relief and college access to Americans. People talk about national security, but “nobody ever talks about education as a part of that foundation,” observed Duckworth, a decorated Army helicopter pilot.
Millennials may be the key to breaking through that mindset, Democrat Russ Feingold told voters a day later, when he, Weingarten and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) participated in a get-out-the-vote effort organized by students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Feingold, for years a strong progressive voice in the Senate, said he decided to run again based on what he saw in younger voters: a “spirit of community” that rejects “the politics of divisiveness.”
Baldwin said a Feingold victory would mean that Wisconsin would be sending to the Senate “not someone who is going to cancel my vote or work in opposition but someone who is going to be my progressive partner and prioritize the things that matter most.”
“We need Sen. Feingold back,” said Weingarten, explaining to the college crowd how progressives across the country looked to him as “a North Star” on issues such as campaign finance reform. It’s time for good ideas to move ahead, she said, and “Democrats need to be the majority to fight the obstruction and fight for the middle class.”
Their remarks were seconded by warm applause and comments from the college audience. “Remember to vote,” one freshman told classmates. “It’s the easiest test you’ll ever take. It’s multiple choice, and the answers are pretty clear.”
Dozens of other events have powered the AFT’s message in races around the country at every level. Among the highlights:
- In Oregon, AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker (pictured above) joined with AFT Oregon this month to kick off the canvass for Measure 97, a fair corporate tax initiative. The campaign has quickly hit the 100,000 door-knock mark and grown support for the ballot measure, which would specifically support education, healthcare and senior citizens in the state. More than 1,000 endorsements have come from small businesses, AFT and other Oregon unions, elected officials and community members, and the people-powered campaign is getting traction despite an opposition that has sunk more than $23 million into its defeat.
- In New Mexico, where measures of child well-being rank at the bottom nationally, AFT President Randi Weingarten spent time in Albuquerque and Santa Fe this month highlighting Hillary Clinton’s lifelong advocacy for children, particularly early care. State legislative races also are pivotal—New Mexico’s pro-worker, pro-public education Democratic majority in the Senate could well win a partner majority in the House—and Weingarten joined longtime union friends state Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard, House Minority Leader Brian Egolf and Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez in their campaign bids to win a new, progressive Legislature.
- AFT officers traveled to New Hampshire to help support both Hillary Clinton and Gov. Maggie Hassan, the Democrat who is fighting fiercely to become the state’s next U.S. senator. Ricker was in Manchester on Oct. 15 to kick off a labor walk and speak at the Nashua Teachers’ Union teacher leaders meeting. Weingarten is scheduled to meet with union activists and address crowds on behalf of the candidates later this week.
- In the battleground state of Ohio, Weingarten was on hand this month to support a day of action by AFT locals that generated support for Hillary Clinton, Democratic Senate contender Ted Strickland and Issue 44—one of the most widely watched education ballot initiatives in 2016. If approved, the levy would generate about $48 million annually for high-quality public education, including additional technology, and for expanded preschool in Cincinnati. AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson (pictured above) also visited the city earlier in the month and made the case for why the levy is needed. The “Strong Start, Strong Future” effort to win passage of the levy has picked up wide community support and local endorsements.
[Staff reports]