Texas Insider Report: Washington D.C. This is more powerful than TV ads AFL-CIO political director
Michael Podhorzer said. Its harder work. It isnt writing a check to a consultant and then putting something on TV but its empowering Americans to take control.
The pro-labor super PAC
Workers Voice on Thursday outlined its plan to mobilize unionized and non-unionized workers ahead of the 2012 election as post-
Citizens United rules have freed the labor movement to expand their political campaigning.
Workers Voice which has raised $5.4 million in the last two quarters and has $4.1 million cash on hand is seeking to combat the spending by conservative super PACs by creating a nationwide network to galvanize all workers labor leaders said.
Citizens United was a bad decision ... but I think the bottom line here is the result of
Citizens United was this crushing amount of money thats flowing in from secret sources deep pockets
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Liz Shuler said at a press conference.
Were never going to be able to compete with that as unions. Well probably end up being outspent by 20 to one. But the thing we can compete on is the people power the boots on the ground.
Thanks to
Citizens United union activists are freed from previous rules that limited them to only being able to contact fellow union members. Now when the super PACs full fleet of online tools is rolled out in the next
few weeks officials will be able to track by zip code where their members friends and contacts live so they can plan broader canvassing efforts than they had in the past.
The super PACs tools will also include a Click-to-Call button so activists can make calls from home instead of going to a phone bank and a function that will allow people to create customized postcards to send to faraway contacts.
The labor movement is hoping that the grassroots effort - including the push by activists to contact people they know - will help unite all workers.
Workers Voice will also launch voter registration and protection drives to ensure that voter laws do not restrict minorities seniors or students from voting officials said.
Vale Tagaris Boost Workers Voice and Other Career Moves
The pro-labor super PAC
Workers Voice which today
announced its plan to mobilize workers ahead of the 2012 election recently hired former
AFL-CIO communications specialist
Eddie Vale as its communications director.
Hell continue to do communications on the health care front.
And former SEIU new media director
Tim Tagaris as its digital director.
They joined the super PAC April 1.
