Politicos take note: Working America, a relatively new “community affiliate” of the AFL-CIO, appears to be gearing up for a big election push this fall.
Working America
The group, which says it has 3 million members nationwide, organizes and promotes protests against banks and industry executives it says are abusing their authority to the detriment of workers.
It’s is especially active in the key swing state of Ohio, according to the Columbus Dispatch, which interviewed organizer Dan Heck in the Buckeye State’s capital.
Working America’s Ohio chapter is the largest in the country, with canvass offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Heck said. The organization pushes for “economic justice” issues such as higher minimum wages and more generous retirement plans, as well as the right to unionize, he said. It also opposes the outsourcing of jobs overseas and large bonuses for executives of firms that receive federal assistance.
Although Heck’s office was decorated with posters from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, he said Working America isn’t about donating to or endorsing political candidates. Rather, it’s about advocating on issues of concern to working families.
Working America sponsors a “My Bad Boss” contest in which workers can tell about horror stories about their (presumably) previous employer.
Working America says it also wants to hear about good bosses.