Change to Win members across Oregon waged an aggressive grassroots
effort to help push Barack Obama to victory over Democratic rival
Sen. Hillary Clinton in the May 20 primary election. Obama captured
59 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 41 percent.
The Change to Win labor federation endorsed Obama earlier this year,
while the national AFL-CIO was neutral in the primary. That, however,
didn’t stop several international unions from making endorsements
and promoting their favorites.
AFL-CIO affiliates supporting Obama included the Boilermakers; Plumbers
and Fitters; Utility Workers Union; the International Longshore
and Warehouse Union; and the American Federation of Government Employees.
Oregon AFSCME Council 75 also endorsed Obama, even though its international
union campaigned for Clinton.
Change to Win affiliates endorsing Obama were United Food and Commercial
Workers, the Teamsters, UNITE HERE, and the Service Employees International
Union.
According to Change to Win, it has 80,000 members in Oregon.
“Change to Win members and volunteers pushed Sen. Barack Obama
to victory in the Beaver State, bringing him the majority of pledged
delegates and within reach of clinching the Democratic nomination
for the president of the United States of America,” said Executive
Director Greg Tarpinian. “Now it’s time for the Democratic
Party to unite together for victory in November and bring the change
working families need.”
Tarpinian, who will be leaving the federation July 6 to return to
the New York-based Labor Research Association, said its volunteers
made more than 150,000 phone calls; knocked on nearly 30,000 doors
targeting areas in North/Northeast and Southeast Portland, and Gresham;
sent hundreds of thousands of direct mail pieces to Democratic households;
helped manage get-out-the-vote staging locations in Portland and
Tigard; and conducted member-to-member education efforts at worksites
throughout the state.
