Middlesex/Somerset Central Labor Council President Wayne Martiak, a business agent for IBEW 456 and a candidate for Point Pleasant Borough Council, greets participants in the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s 25th Annual Labor Candidates on Sunday, August 15, 2021.
With social media and mobile platforms the primary communications tools of our modern day, participants in the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s 25th Annual Labor Candidates School learned how to leverage them for successful political campaigns during the school’s second day.
After a warm welcome on Sunday, August 15, 2021, by Middlesex/Somerset Central Labor Council President Wayne Martiak, a business agent for IBEW 456 and himself a candidate for Point Pleasant Borough Council, the participants dug into interactive lessons about tailoring their message to a digital audience.
“[Our elected labor candidates] have passed a lot of laws that benefit all working people, not just union members,” Brother Martiak said, “and that’s because of the lessons our candidates learned at this school. Thank you for stepping up, thank you for running, and I’m proud of what you’re doing.”
The nationally acclaimed Labor Candidates School has been dedicated in honor of AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka, a cherished friend to the New Jersey labor movement and a steadfast supporter of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program. Since its launch in 1997, the program has achieved 1,138 election victories for union brothers and sisters seeking elected office from school boards and town councils through the New Jersey Legislature to the U.S. Congress.
The two-day program for union members approved to run for office by their locals and their Central Labor Councils concludes on Sunday. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO thanks all participants, instructors, unions and Central Labor Councils for their support, with special gratitude to IBEW Local 456 in North Brunswick for generously hosting our school.