Niles, Ohio Call Center Volunteers Know What's At Stake This Election

The buzz of volunteers making calls at the Niles call center is apparent right when you enter the door. In the cramped call center last week, volunteers have fill up the dialers and are making calls to union members about the election and the importance of voting for labor-endorsed candidates. "Hello, is Camara available," said Ron Blatt, volunteer and Field Representative with OAPSE/AFSCME. Blatt, like other volunteers, knows the importance of this year's election. This election is a "make or break [for] middle class workers in the state of Ohio and it is also important for our future elections, especially the Presidential race."

Blatt and the others at the Niles call center all agree that Kasich is a major threat to workers. "John Kasich is in favor of charter schools...he is in favor of outsourcing," says Bill Padisak, Mahoning-Trumbull Labor Council President. "John Kasich is going to dissolve the unions, destroy the unions in the state," says Sean Lauritzin from SEIU 1199. Kasich is "nothing but a union buster. He has already said he has no use for unions...and also one of the first things he is going to try to do is eliminate public employees' bargaining rights," said Larry Fauver, retiree from UFCW Local 880 and former President of the Greater Youngstown AFL-CIO. Jeff Abbe, Field Organizer with AFSCME and call center captain for the Niles call center, organized at the Invacare plant while Kasich was a board member for the company. "There business plan, when he was on the board of directors, clearly stated they wanted to outsource good-paying jobs to China."

But it isn't just about Worst Ohio Wall Streeter John Kasich. Volunteer and USW Local 9401 member Joe Jakovina feels Governor Strickland is the right candidate for working families. Governor Strickland "is doing a great job. He has already brought jobs into the [area]. I know he is going to bring more," says Joe Jakovina. "I'm fighting to get Governor Strickland re-elected because I know how much he has done for public employees in this state and how much he has done for all the citizens of Ohio," says Padisak.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Ohio
• Labor 2010
• AFL-CIO
• Elections
• Ted Strickland
• John Kasich