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| Kendrin Bell, member, WORKING AMERICA, and her sons, Kaleb and Kendall |
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July 27—Kendrin Bell and Spencer Coggs who work on the frontlines of political and legislative mobilization for working people say the AFL-CIO’s new political program will provide critical long-range plans to expand working families’ strength to defeat anti-worker politicians and assist grassroots political activists such as themselves.
Bell and Coggs were among political activists honored at the AFL-CIO’s 25th Convention as the delegates considered the second part of Resolution 1, which provides more resources for political action and training and supports the AFL-CIO community affiliate WORKING AMERICA. During the Convention’s morning session, delegates passed the first portion of Resolution 1, which sets out a bold new plan for organizing.
WORKING AMERICA: A Great Opportunity to Be Heard
When Bell joined the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate, WORKING AMERICA, she signed on to become more than just a supporter—she became an activist by organizing her co-workers and her family to send e-mails, write letters and make phone calls to their members of Congress and the Bush administration to save overtime pay and strengthen, not privatize, Social Security.
“If Social Security is privatized, it would hurt my grandparents, parents and me. I’m working to get my Social Security. I don’t want them to have to take care of me,” she said, referring to her two sons, 11-year-old Kendall and 10-month-old Kaleb.
Joining WORKING AMERICA was a natural, Bell says, because she works in a non-union job as an administrative assistant at Alliant Technical Systems in St. Louis. “This is a great opportunity to be heard. WORKING AMERICA fills in the gaps where people who don’t belong to a union can be involved.”
“Between diapers and little league, I don’t always have time to call my congressman or senator, but WORKING AMERICA can help one voice like mine become many,” said Bell.
Unions Best Way to Get People Involved
For Coggs, a Wisconsin state senator and former member of AFSCME Local 1091 in Milwaukee, labor and politics are inevitably connected.
“More people, especially people of color, should become involved in politics so their issues and concerns can be heard,” says Coggs, a member of the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators. The National Labor Caucus is a bi-partisan network of union member and union-friendly state lawmakers committed to actively advancing issues working families care about in state legislatures throughout the country.
“There is no better vehicle than unions to get people elected to office who support workers’ issues such as affordable health care and prescription drugs.”
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