Countdown to Election Day

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Kulongoski and U.S. Senate candidate Bill Bradbury fired up a crowd of more than 200 campaign volunteers Oct. 19 at the Oregon AFL-CIO's "No More Business as Usual" rally.

Afterwards, union members knocked on more than 4,000 union household doors with information on the candidates and labor-endorsed Ballot Measure 25 (to raise the minimum wage) and Measure 26 (to clean up the initiative process).

The "Labor to Neighbor" program is part of a national grass-roots effort combining issues education and one-to-one, member-to-member contact through precinct walks, phone banks and mailings to ensure a large union turnout. To date, union volunteers have knocked on the doors of more than 8,000 union households.

A similar program two years ago - Labor 2000 - resulted in 85 percent of Oregon union household voters casting ballots in the general election - the highest turnout of any state in the nation. Labor 2002 Campaign Director Patrick Green said that in early counts, more than 50 percent of votes cast from newly-registered voters have come from union households.

"These early returns show our voter registration drive is really paying off," he said.

At the Labor to Neighbor rally, Bradbury championed legislation sponsored by the AFL-CIO to put workers first in line for severance pay and promised benefits when corporations go bankrupt.

Kulongoski called for stronger state laws to hold corporations accountable for wrongdoing, like the law he promoted as attorney general to establish criminal penalties for corporate polluters.

Workers who suffered the brunt of corporate wrongdoing took center stage at the rally.

Dave Covington, a Portland General Electric lineman and member of Portland-based Electrical Workers Local 125, told of being shut out from his 401(k) plan, while executives at parent Enron Corp. walked away with more than $100 million in bonuses just before the company's bankruptcy. He and two other co-workers lost $1.2 million as the value of Enron stock in their retirement plans evaporated.

Susan Lovenstein, a member of Communications Workers Local 7901 and one of 200 Qwest workers laid off in the Portland area, called attention to the damage done to workers and consumers by recently-deposed chief executive officer Joe Nacchio, who pocketed $103 million from the phone company last year. Lovenstein lost her job and more than $80,000 in retirement savings.

�Labor-Neighbor mobilizations and phone banking will continue through Election Day. Shifts will be in operation at the Labor 2002 office, 214 SE 18th St. Portland, Saturday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 3, from 1 to 8:30 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Neighborhood walks are scheduled Nov. 2-4, at 10 a.m. (Monday at 7 a.m.), starting at the Machinists Hall, 3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland; and Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 7 a.m. starting at the Labor 2002 office. Call Sarah or Nathan at 503-233-0038 to reserve a time.

In Springfield, phone banking will be conducted from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Nov. 3-4; and from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. Volunteers are needed to distribute doorhangers Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Nov. 2-4, starting at 10 a.m. The gathering site is 1116 South 'A' Street, Springfield. Call Cj at 541-912-9757 to reserve a time.

In Salem, doorhangers will be distributed Sunday and Monday, Nov. 3-4, starting at 10 a.m. The gathering site is the Oregon AFL-CIO office at 2110 State St.

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