by Seth Michaels, Dec 1, 2008

Tomorrow, Georgia voters go to the polls to vote in the runoff election for U.S. Senate. AFL-CIO-endorsed Jim Martin is in a close contest with anti-worker incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss in a race that could determine the ability to pass a pro-working family agenda in 2009 and beyond.

Union volunteers are putting in long hours and mobilizing around the state to get out the vote in the Senate runoff. If Martin wins, he’ll be the 59th pro-worker vote in the Senate, providing a critical voice for policies that will rebuild America’s middle class and strengthen the economy. Chambliss would continue to stand in the way of progress on health care, job creation and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Martin took part in an early morning worksite leaflet last week to thank some of those hardworking union volunteers.

I’m honored to be here with my friends in organized labor. The truth is, I’m not going to be able to win this election without the support of working people…what’s happening is that Georgia workers are saying: “Enough is enough, we’ve had it with this economy, and we want someone who’s going to work for the rights of workers in our economy. We want somebody who’s going to work to turn this economy around.”

I’m really honored to have [your] support—phone banking, going door-to-door, doing worksite leafleting…all the things that will get our voters out, because the truth is, this is going to be a very close election.

Around the state last week, union volunteers and activists held events to get out the message: Chambliss’ record has hurt Georgians’ jobs, health care and pensions. Young activists asked voters to “give Saxby a pink slip” and send new leadership to Washington.

Brett Hulme, president of the Savannah Regional Central Labor Council and a member of OPEIU, is one of the many union activists getting out the vote.

We are backing Jim Martin because we need a friend of labor. Saxby Chambliss did nothing but take from working families and side with management and we can’t afford that type of leadership. We are losing too many jobs in this state—good-paying union jobs.

Chambliss, meanwhile, can’t even address the question of whether or not we’re in a recession. While Georgia and the country shed jobs, Chambliss is dodging questions about the economy.

The contrast couldn’t be more clear as tomorrow’s election approaches. Chambliss doesn’t care about Georgia’s working families, while Martin is fighting alongside them to turn around the economy.

______________________________________________

Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article |Comments (0)