Dist. #
Name
1
Robert Andrews (D)
2
Frank Lobiondo (R)
3
Jim Saxton (R)
4
Christopher Smith (R)
5
Anne Sumers (D)
6
Frank Pallone, Jr. (D)
7
Tim Carden (D)
8
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D)
9
Ssteven Rothman (D)
10
Donald Payne (D)
11
Ron Frelinghuysen (R)
12
Rush Holt (D)
13
Rob Menendez (D)
US Senate Frank
Lautenberg (D)
NEW JERSEY STATE LEGISLATIVE BOARD
BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS
108 Homestead Pl. Bogota, NJ 07603
Phone/fax (201) 342-1442
MEMO
DATE:
NOVEMBER 1, 2002
TO:
ALL NEW JERSEY MEMBERS
Re:
NOV. 5, ELECTIONS
Brothers and Sisters,
it has been a whirlwind six months since I took office.
I was never what you might call a political person.
I voted in all major elections, and most local elections.
I have never held a political office, and as a non-participant, was
at the mercy of the media regarding the issues and the ability of those
running for elected office.
These past six months however have provided an immeasurable education.
I have had the opportunity to not only meet many influential
people, I have had the privilege of discussing with them, those issues
that mean so much to the general working population.
I have attended about a dozen political rallies and fundraisers,
representing both sides of the political isle.
I have to tell you that everyone running believes in what his or
her particular party platform is. I
also believe that up to a certain level of political office, many, from
both major parties understand the needs of the working class.
Unfortunately, after election to higher office, their broad
perspective on issues is channeled to the narrow view of their particular
party.
A major function of the State Legislative Board is to educate the
membership on the issues come election time.
It is also responsible for providing direction for the membership
on who to vote for. With the
run of the mill background I have had regarding politics, it has been a
real challenge for me to get up to speed on a number of issues in the
short time I have been in office.
As a result, those whom the Board is endorsing may not all be the best
choices for labor, but I will say that based on those with whom I have had
the opportunity to talk with, and those whose record I have reviewed, we
have made a fairly good first term attempt at providing a list of
candidates who you can feel will do their elected duty with your needs in
mind.
We have endorsed people on both sides of the isle. As I have stated in the past, we have to examine not just the
ideological position of any candidate, but their desire to see that labor
issues are advanced. At the
risk of contradicting myself, I must relate a first hand experience.
While in Washington DC, helping in the Amtrak funding fight in
June, I was at a phone conference where we were advised that Sen. Phil
Gramm’s, (R.Texas), solution to the threatened shutdown of Amtrak was,
“to let it go bankrupt, that way all Collective Bargaining Agreements
would be nullified, and we can rebuild it without the yoke of the
Unions”. Recognizing that
Sen. Gramm, is one of the more conservative members of Congress, it is
still a sad commentary on the division that exists between the Republican
and Democrat philosophy.
Therefore, I am asking you to not only consider the popular issues at
stake, prescription drugs for the elderly, defense issues, gun control
etc. but those other issues which will be affected by who is ultimately
elected. Will Congress be
apportioned to permit huge corporations to move their offices to “off
shore” locations, taking with them needed tax dollars and jobs?
Will Congress’s balance of power allow appointments to the
Supreme Court which in years to come result in a smaller voice from the
working class? Will the
Corporate “rush to the bottom line” be endorsed by a corporate minded
Congress at the expense of the rank and file worker?
As I said before, we have friends on both sides of the isle.
Your vote will let them know that your endorsement does not come
freely. Your vote has a
price. While our endorsments are the result of the brief time we have had
to prepare for this election, it does represent an honest attempt at
bipartisan politics.
THE
BOTTOM LINE IS, NO MATTER WHO YOU DECIDE TO VOTE FOR, DON’T GIVE YOUR
VOICE TO SOMEONE ELSE. VOTE
ON NOVEMBER 5.
Ken
Michel
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