The New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s political program shined on Election Day when a record number of our union brothers and sisters won their elections to offices ranging from school board and town council to mayor, freeholder and state Assembly. This year’s 47 labor candidate victories would not have been possible without the involvement and hard work of our volunteers!
Beginning in mid-September and continuing through Election Day, thousands of volunteers helped us reach hundreds of thousands of union members’ homes. Our unparalleled Get-Out-the-Vote program resulted in Election Day victories for three out of four union candidates, a phenomenal 73% win percentage.
These labor candidate victories mean better and stronger representation for working families on the issues that matter most – good, family sustaining jobs and the opportunity to build a bright future for your children. When we elect labor candidates, we have a voice!
Volunteers representing 137 local unions participated in our Labor ’15 effort, showing what we can accomplish when all sectors of the labor movement are united. While there are many victories we could point to, the election of IBEW 400 brother Eric Houghtaling to the state Assembly is a pinnacle of our success. With the help of our volunteers, we knocked on 23,000 union members’ doors in Monmouth County on Election Day, reminding union voters of their power at the ballot box. Eric and his running mate, Joann Downey, won the seats by beating two incumbents – with the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s political program leading the charge.
Because of our volunteers, our labor walks and phone banks continue to be a model for the country. So we thank our volunteers for all that they did to ensure working families have a seat at the table. We could not have done it without our volunteers!