Fastest Growing Group for Working Americans to Open Pittsburgh Office

News Advisory:

Pittsburgh AFL-CIO Community Affiliate to Reveal Post-Labor Day Local Political Plans and National Role to Protect Social Security

WHAT: Post-Labor Day news conference to announce opening of Pittsburgh office for Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, and the fastest growing group for working Americans. Working America is a powerful voice for workers without a union on the job. The news conference also will announce Working America’s local and state political plans and national role to oppose President Bush’s fall campaign to privatize Social Security. The briefing also will include discussion of recently released national polling data on the dismal state of the economy for working Americans.

WHO: Jim English, Secretary Treasurer, United Steelworkers

Jenn Jannon, Canvass Director, Working America

WHERE: Working America, Five Gateway Center, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, 412-562-2562

WHEN: Thursday, September 8, 10:30 AM

BACKGROUND:

Two out of three people Working America contacts at the door become members and it has recruited one million members nationwide since its founding in August 2003. Seventy percent of Working America’s members say they are moderate or conservative. Working America has local offices, with full canvass teams, working year round in Falls Church, VA; Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, OH; Seattle, WA; and Portland, OR. The group focuses on issues at the local, state and national level. Working America has:

-- Helped Bill Cervenik win the mayoral race in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid, OH and helped defeat a recall of Cervenik by 775 votes by knocking on 3,200 doors in a week and identifying over 1,000 Cervenik supporters;

-- Generated hundreds of hand written letters to defeat a tipped worker exemption to Oregon’s minimum wage sought by business lobbyists;

-- Helped pass a hospital levy in Hospital District 1 of King County, providing $12.5 million in revenue for more hires that bolstered Seattle’s emergency responders.

Contact Information

Wayne Ranick

Media Contact

United Steelworkers

Contact via E-mail