Indiana Union Members Help Send Carson to Congress

[IndianaGreen]

From AFL-CIO Weblog:

Indiana Union Members Help Send Carson to Congress

André Carson, an Indianapolis city councilor with strong labor ties, is now the newest representative in Congress, thanks to a strong effort by Indiana union members.

Carson, a Democrat, beat state Rep. Jon Elrod 54 percent to 43 percent in the special election in Indiana's 7th Congressional District, held yesterday to replace the late Rep. Julia Carson. Julia Carson was a former member of the UAW who represented this district from 1997 until her death last fall. André Carson, her grandson, won the endorsement of the Indiana State AFL-CIO in his fight to win the seat.

Union volunteers in the 7th District made thousands of phone calls, knocked on hundreds of doors and delivered thousands of worksite fliers, making the crucial difference in Carson's 9,000-vote victory.

Terry Lynch, vice president of the Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, says the union mobilization behind Carson's win is essential to getting a broader victory for working families this fall.

We know it is imperative to energize our grassroots on our issues of quality health care, a fair economy and the Employee Free Choice Act. We know that rank-and-file involvement in this election, and in the upcoming elections, are critical for working families in this country. We have the opportunity to build bigger pro-working family majorities in the House and Senate, and capture the White House, and when that happens we will see our issues addressed and positive change for working men and women.

This is the second special election in three days in which union members made the difference in electing a pro-working families member of Congress. On Saturday, Bill Foster, the endorsed candidate of the Illinois AFL-CIO, won a special election to fill the seat of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, a Republican who retired earlier this year.

Carson has pledged to support the Employee Free Choice Act and fight for fair trade, good jobs, health care and other issues that matter to working families. He will be up for election for a full term in November.

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/03/12/indiana-union-members-help-send-carson-to-congress/