824 Political Activist,
This weekend's AFL-CIO conference was one of the most productive and informative that I have been to. I can't wait to share some of the info I was given with you and start implementing some of the tools and strategies that were shared with us. Holding a political planning & training seminar in January proved to me that the Florida AFL-CIO is serious about getting the job done this year!
I knew the seminar was going to be good when our first speaker on Saturday morning was Congressman Alan Grayson. He gave a fantastic speech. At one point he talked about Dancing with the one that brought you; and he reminded us that he has not forgotten that labor brought him to congress. Alan Grayson is a true friend to working families and is one of those rare politicians who are dedicated to our causes.
I was impressed with Florida AFL-CIO president Mike Williams and Secretary-Treasurer Brian Dempsey for doing such a great job in running their first conference since being elected 3 months ago, if this weekend was any indicator of the way future conferences will be managed then we have a lot to look forward to. I'm more confident than ever in our new leadership team in Tallahassee and I'm excited and ready to work hard this year to elect as many pro-labor candidates as possible in this 2010 Mid-term election battle.
This year will be a busy one for our activist group, we will be working to identify candidates worthy of our help throughout West Central Florida and working on their campaign when we find them. We will also be working on the Elections themselves and signing up to work the polls on election day in our respective precincts and working to make sure every Union member is registered to vote, in addition we will be keeping up with the ever changing legislation that has the potential to effect our membership both in Tallahassee and Washington. In March and October we will be lobbying the Hills. There is more than enough to keep us busy this year so buckle your seat belts and get ready for a fast paced election year.
Of course this year will not just be about phone banking and lobbying or going door-to-door, we are going to have lots of planned time to celebrate our hard work and accomplishments as well, I'm looking forward to working this 2010 election year with all of my Union brothers and sisters who share a passion for social justice and workers rights.
In Solidarity
Jason Smith
Chairperson IBEW 824 Political Activist Group
