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.
Joe Biden also signed the NAFTA treaty while he was a Senator in Delaware— Phishface- Pretty ironic that a union that has its own War on Women would support Mr. Eye Candy.— one sick chick
- Bob Henon still working for Johnny "Doc"! And it should be up to the voting public, to the "Right to Work", not because it would be bad for the unions!! What about women in the workforce, what is the percentage of women (or minorities), that are in the unions of Philadelphia!!— Dadair1
- A THUG telling his Union How to vote. HAHAHAHA— ThePaPatriot
- A THUG telling his Union How to vote. HAHAHAHA— ThePaPatriot
Follow Chris on Twitter
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
Follow Dave on Twitter.
Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
Follow Jan on Twitter
Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
Follow Sean on Twitter
