Canvassing, phone bank volunteers needed for AFL-CIO Labor 2014 effort

Missouri AFL-CIO Campaign Manager Shannon Weber is urging union members across the state to participate in the AFL-CIO Labor 2014 effort by volunteering to knock on doors or make phone calls to support labor-friendly candidates in competitive Missouri House and Senate districts in the general election Nov. 4.

“We need to take every opportunity to remind working men and women of what is at stake this November,” Weber said in a recent letter to union leaders.

Despite surviving efforts by extremist legislators state House and Senate to pass right-to-work and paycheck deception, and attacks on prevailing wage in the last legislative session, special interest groups are still trying to silence the voice of working Missourians, Weber said.

“We have a lot of doors to knock, calls to make and letters to send,” she said. “If we pull together and do the work, we can send legislators who care about working people to Jefferson City.”

PHONE BANKS

Phone banks, using a five-station predictive-dialer, are being run out of UFCW Local 655 Hall at 300 Weidman Road in Ballwin.

LABOR WALKS

Canvassing labor walks are being held every Saturday until the election, with the following events scheduled.

• South St. Louis County – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4,  beginning at Genesis Banquet Center, 2651 Telegraph Road, St. Louis Co.

• St. Charles – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, beginning at Tri-County Legislative Club, 10 Droste Square, St. Charles

• Festus – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, beginning at the Jefferson County Labor Club, 110 Main Street, Festus.

• House Springs – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, beginning at Democratic Headquarters, 36 Gravois Station, House Springs.

• Maryland Heights – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, beginning at CWA 6300 Hall, 2258 Grissom Dr., Maryland Heights.

To volunteer, or for information on canvassing or phone bank opportunities, contact Shannon Weber at 573-645-5170 or email sweber@moaflcio.org, or Luke Canfora at 517-488-9291 or email lcanfora@aflcio.org.

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Illinois canvassing opportunities

Belleville – Metro East unions are holding a series of campaign canvassing walks in the 12^th Congressional District to support labor-endorsed candidates, and more walkers are needed to join the effort.

Remaining canvassing dates are as follows:

• Collinsville – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, beginning at IBEW Local 309, at Mall Street and Illinois Rte. 157, Collinsville.

• Maryville-Glen Carbon – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, beginning at the Cullen Cullen campaign office, 4521 Illinois Rte. 159 Suite 4, Glen Carbon.

• Cahokia-Dupo – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, location to be determined.

• Granite City – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11, beginning at Steelworkers Local 1899, 2014 State St. #304, Granite City.

• Belleville – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11, Laborers Local 459, 100 North 17^th St., Belleville.

Organizers are Mike Todd of Laborers International and Michelle Federici of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. For more information, contact Todd at mhtodd99@aol.com or Federici at mfederici@ift-aft.org.

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