Local 98 uses video to urge members to vote for Obama
Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is sending this video to its 4,000 members this week, urging them to vote for President Obama in Tuesday's general election. The video includes clips of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney pledging to the Associated Builders & Contractors trade group in a February speech to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act on "day one" if elected.
Local 98 uses video to urge members to vote for Obama
Chris Brennan
Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is sending this video to its 4,000 members this week, urging them to vote for President Obama in Tuesday's general election. The video includes clips of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney pledging to the Associated Builders & Contractors trade group in a February speech to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act on "day one" if elected.
That act, passed in 1931, requires contractors to pay employees the local prevailing wage on federally-funded construction projects. Romney favors "right-to-work" policies that allow employers to set such wages as they see fit.
Despite Local 98's long history of supporting Democratic candidates, the video makes clear the union anticipates that some members or their relatives might be leaning toward Romney. Local 98 has backed Republicans in the past, including former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. Corbett.
"We have a number of people who are coming out on election day and voting against their own self interests," says Pat Gillespie, business manager of the Philadelphia Building Trades in the video. "We have to stop that. We have to at least make them aware of it."
Local 98 Business Manager John Dougherty calls Romney in the video the "best poster boy for the 1 percent" while claiming that the Republican Party is not interested in people who have suffered during the economic downturn that started in 2008.
NOTE: Dougherty says toward the end of the video that voters should bring their identification to polling places on election day. Pennsylvania's VoterID law will not be used during this election. A Local 98 spokesman said Dougherty was urging voters to bring ID as a precaution in case poll watchers challenge their rights to vote.
Yes, union sheep vote for him....without regard to what he did to GM...yes he gave it to you on a silver platter and then allowed it to go to china.....if he did not "force" the Federal Government to buy all it's vehicles from GM, their domestic sales would be down....and All of GM's growth and 60% of their manufactureing is done in China by non-union people.....Yup, union members, YOU still don't relize he sold you down the river and that your leadership is fat and happy and you are out of work.....sad....Try thinking for yourself instead of being a sheep.....— nuggett- Where were all these comments when Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson and half the oil company ceo's were telling their employees to vote for Romney or they will be laid off. All money needs to get out of politics but don't be hypocrites people.— sixersfan75
- Funny, Unions are not for change or moving forward. Why would they progressively at all? Dumbest people in the world need a union to get a raise. Why, they dont know how to work hard.— Fisher
- nuggett is a dope. The GOP is trying to bust unions, police and firefighters. Romney is a liar. He keeps telling people that Jeep is moving to China. WRONG - both Jeep and GM CEO's called Romney a LIAR. Romney and Bain moved their plant of Sensara in Freeport,Ill. to China.....Romney-a dope and LIAR!— kingofpoker
- Any labor union that would back Santorum or Corbett loses all credibility with me. These two are no better than Romney when it comes to the best interests of the working class.— PROUD LIBERAL
- Check out Philadelphia Magazine this month...It has a good article about the greed and demise of the crooked unions in Philadelphia. Builders, e.g. the Postronk Bros, are now hiring non-union workers much to the dismay of Union thugs who are being squeezed out of the picture. Strong arm tactics, reminiscent of the Altemose fiasco, are the only thing these overpaid thugs know. Of course Obama supports and encourages these idiots. To see how union thugs use intimidation tactics, see PhillyBully.com... http://www.phillybully.com/PhillyBully.com/Videos_-_Original.html— dogman5
- Here is a question for local 98 union members:Is this what you pay your mandatory dues to Johnny Doc for prior to him being indicted Federally? to throw your union dues away on some sorry politician like Obummer? Obummer would give cares for only Barry and what Barry wants. Send Johnny Doc a message by voting for Romney, because any vote for Obummer will actually be worse economically for all local 98 members because Obummer means less business activity because he is clueless on how to start an economy. Just look at his record. Unless as a local 98 member you are more comfortable with food stamps in lieu of a pay check, I can see no reason why I would vote for Obummer.— Speak-truth-2-power
- Prevailing wage is a license to steal taxpayer money to buy union votes for democrat politicians.....corruption plain and simple.— bannedrepublican
- Doesn't Washington appoint Union leaders now. Dougherty a bar owner who connects wires and politicians and Pat Gillespie his stoolie. How many electricians and carpenters were out of work these past four years. As a practicing Irish Catholic, you two micks back a pro choicer. Stay away from church, you bums.
- 123,000 Lockheed workers being layed off? You bet Doc, they just aren't printing it. And did you ever serve in the armed forces, if you did, you left them behind. I just read truck driver jobs are few and far between, because we aren;t hauling goods anymore in America. Are you for you or your union members.
- For the moment I am going to ignore the photo id issue.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWill John Wayne NASCAR Reagan Democrats understand that they are voting against the very PUBLIC government that gives them PUBLIC contracts up to and including PUBLIC benefits?In Philly (region) I suspect not...It will be interesting though to see what Wisconsin will do. (HTML deleted)— Cuddles
- Non Excidet,
You may want to check your facts. It was non other than the hero of the Democrt party, Bill Clinton that championed and signed into law the NAFTA agreement and not a Rebublican. Yes, many members of the Repbublican party voted "yes" on it in the congress but so did a lot of Dems as well. Heres the proof:
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-18/news/mn-58150_1_trade-pact— Phishface - Heres further proof that many Democrat senators in the senate voted for NAFTA as well, including Kennedy:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=103&session=1&vote=00395— Phishface - Heres further proof that many Democrat senators in the senate voted for NAFTA as well, including Kennedy:http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=103&session=1&vote=00395 (HTML deleted)— Phishface
- Also, it was Bill Clinton, along with many Dems in the Senate and the Congress that paved the way for China to enter the World Trade Orginization which proved to be much more damaging to our manufacturing base that NAFTA:
http://www.manufacturingnews.com/news/10/0615/WTO.html— Phishface
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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