IAFF Endorses AFL-CIO President John Sweeney for Re-Election

That debate
has been mostly very productive and constructive.
"As part of the evolving reform process , President Sweeney has recently
embraced the belief within the IAFF that winning new union members and
legislative and political battles requires a mix of message and motivation. "In the
current political environment -- a tough one for Republican candidates --
Betty Montgomery is the most likely of the GOP nominees to be seen as 'ethical
and honest' by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.

fragmented suggests

He knows that the combination of our resources and power are the
engines that will drive our movement through these trying times.
"Specifically, President Sweeney has committed to shift the Federation's
political and legislative direction. Blackwell's numbers were
particularly weak.
"We expected to see a slight increase in concern about education
this year due to state funding cutbacks," said Roger Israel ,
professor, Public Administration, and one of the architects of the
survey, "but we didn't expect the number to more than double.

votebuddy democrat

In the last
election cycle, FIREPAC contributed fully one-third of its funds to Republican
candidates, significantly more than any other major national union.org .
"Ohioans want their next Governor to be someone they can trust and
Republicans want to nominate a candidate who can win next November,"
Montgomery said. In the current survey, conducted
during January and February 2005, 13 percent said they believe
education tops all other issues.

Metropolitan State University, a member of the Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities System, provides high -quality, affordable
academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor's and
master's levels .

rebuilding democrat

Rather, it focuses on embracing a pragmatic approach to lobbying,
attempting to build different coalitions of support on each legislative
priority. Respondents of the survey,
which covered numerous community issues, were asked, "What is the
chief problem facing the Twin Cities metropolitan area? " In 2002,
education was cited by five percent.

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He has shown a willingness to effectively re-
tool the Federation to create an efficient, effective and lean operation with
an agenda focused on a core of critical, strategically targeted
responsibilities. This shift will not change the
fact that individual Federation union affiliates will continue to be
responsible for tailoring the message to their current and prospective members
in organizing and political campaigns.
"The new focus will mean that the AFL-CIO will change from primarily
getting its message out through internal communications vehicles, to
delivering clear, concise messages using contemporary media, the internet and
other emerging technologies -- where most current and potential members and
voters get the news and information that shapes their views -- helping us make
the labor movement relevant to their everyday lives. Crime , which had been the number one problem through
1999, continued in second place, with 18 percent of respondents
ranking it first.
"Community involvement and civic engagement are integral parts of
student learning, especially at Metropolitan State University," said
William Lowe, provost and vice president, Academic Affairs. "We have been committed to improving the
professional and community life of the metropolitan area since the
university's founding in 1971," said Economics Professor David O'Hara,
who has led the survey work since its inception.

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More than 2,900 affiliates protect nearly
6,000 communities in Canada and in every state in the U.
"Betty Montgomery continues to be the only one of the three candidates
running for the Republican nomination for Governor who can win the election in
November," said Brian Tringali, a partner in The Tarrance Group. "The Twin
Cities metropolitan area is home to 95 percent of our students, so
what happens in this region is of critical importance to us. Those leaning Republican
dropped from 18 percent to 11 percent between 2002 and 2005,
and those leaning Democratic dropped from 19 percent to 12
percent during the same period.

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These
ideas will ensure the Federation reaches its potential to organize
effectively, elect worker-friendly politicians, get pro-worker laws passed,
and make our movement's message relevant to all workers now and in the future.
The 267,000-member IAFF , headquartered in Washington, D. Results of the 2005 survey were gathered through telephone
interviews with 500 randomly selected adults.
Sixty-three percent said they believed we were not yet coming
together as a nation after the 2004 national elections.

vote suggests

The reasons
are varied , but two stand out: shifts in the types of employment and the
globalization of not just our economy but of workplaces and workforces. His focus has remained on the need for
labor to emerge energized , and with a unity of purpose. The IAFF's legislative "score card" recognizes that very few
politicians can or will ever achieve a 100 percent voting record on our
issues."

Additional highlights of the survey include:

Twin Cities residents were more positive about the region's
economy and their personal financial situations than in 2002.

vote facing

The IAFF's Political Action Committee , FIREPAC, is currently one of the
Top 25 PACs among the more than 4,000 registered in the nation .S.
In 2005, 24 percent felt the local economy was improving,
compared to 17 percent in 2002. Partial privatization of
Social Security was less popular in the Twin Cities than in
the nation as a whole.

aiming idea

"In order to be relevant once again, the leaders of our Federation and its
affiliates have been engaged in a debate over how to restructure, retool, and
change the direction, strategies and operations of the AFL-CIO.

Respondents were reluctant to support the use of personal
retirement accounts for Social Security, despite their concern
over the future of this program.

circles elite

Sweeney Embraces Bi-Partisan Political and Legislative Approach and
Public Messaging Campaigns As Strategic + Structural Reforms

WASHINGTON , The General President of the
International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC, Harold Schaitberger ,
issued this statement today on the leadership of the AFL-CIO:

"The AFL-CIO has suffered a reduction of influence and power.
"Throughout this debate, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has remained
focused on the changes that need to be made.
"President Sweeney has also committed to all affiliates that his reform
planning and implementation will continue to evolve., represents 85
percent of the professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 80
percent of the nation 's population."
The Civic Confidence survey focuses on the ethics of elected
officials, major issues facing government, the regional economy and
community connections. Fewer respondents felt they
should be expected to do more to help with anti-terrorism
efforts in 2005 compared to 2002.

polticians fragmented

Latest Montgomery Poll Shows Her Ahead of Blackwell and Petro in Ability to Win General Election

Civic Confidence Survey Reveals Increased Concern About Education

compares idea

"The IAFF has been and will continue to carefully weigh the issues in this
reform discussion. The data also
showed that neither Blackwell nor Petro would defeat Coleman and neither
Blackwell nor Petro would beat Strickland.----Concern over
education more than doubled in the latest Civic Confidence survey
conducted by Metropolitan State University. "We hope policy
makers and citizens will use the survey's findings to improve the
performance and accountability of our public institutions.

More Twin Cities residents identified with the Republican and
Democratic parties than they did in 2002 (19 to 26 percent
Republican; 34 to 37 percent DFL).

rebuilding elites

The survey, taken by the respected national
Republican polling firm The Tarrance Group, questioned 801 likely Ohio voters.

activism fragmented

"Above all else, President Sweeney has remained firmly on the side of
solidarity.

It has
been conducted annually since 1996, with the exception of 2003 and
2004.

elites ones

Throughout
this debate, President Sweeney has once again proved that he is the person to
lead the Federation, particularly during this crucial period of reform."

Political polarization may be increasing in the Twin Cities. It is the only state university in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area.

masses democrat

He is
the leader to position our united movement to regain our place in the national
debate.
"President Sweeney's willingness to find the most effective strategies and
structures to reinvigorate our Federation are shown in his commitment to
embrace ideas and concepts that are completely different than the approach
taken by the AFL-CIO to date. While the AFL-CIO will continue to
support and maintain relationships with those Democrats who have historically
and continuously supported the goals of our movement, it will also build
bridges over party lines to Republicans who can be with us on selected issues.

contributions grass

He has consistently risen above
the negative fray of personal attacks.
Following several meetings with President Sweeney and his embrace of key
issues that the IAFF believes must be at the core of the reform, the IAFF's
Executive Board unanimously voted to endorse John Sweeney for re-election as
president of the AFL-CIO.
This strategy will enable us to become more non-partisan, focusing our efforts
on building worker majorities, not party majorities, in our legislative
bodies."
The poll also found that, among likely voters, Montgomery would beat
Democrat candidate Mike Coleman by 7 percentage points and would also defeat
Democrat candidate Ted Strickland by 3 percentage points .

Twin Cities residents had a great amount of confidence in
their local school districts and were satisfied with their
services.

fragmented compares

"
The Civic Confidence survey solicits attitudes on government
services from residents in the seven-county Twin Cities area.

Activism strategies.

nonviolence leaning

However, the person to lead that discussion remains clear.
Crime, traffic and education continue to be the main problems
facing the Twin Cities, according to the survey.tatum@metrostate.

democrat leaning

iaff.

Note: An executive summary of the Civic Confidence survey may be
requested from Carolyn Tatum at 612-659-7252 or
carolyn.

strategies grass

And we continue to support his leadership."

The IAFF has successfully employed a non-partisan approach to politics by
setting its political and legislative agenda and priorities based on the
interests of its members, not the interest of any political party or specific
candidate, and by reaching out to elected officials on an issue-by-issue
basis. "This poll proves that I'm the right person in both cases.

votebuddy circles

He is a leader who will
work to embrace and implement ideas throughout his term of leadership.C.Poll Also Shows Montgomery Considered More Ethical + Honest Than Her Opponents

COLUMBUS, Ohio, A recent statewide poll released
today shows that Betty Montgomery is the Republican gubernatorial candidate
most likely to win the 2006 General Election.

City Desks/Community Editors

ST.

Effects of 9/11 were diminishing.

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Visit us @
http://www. PAUL, Minn.edu

grass polticians

"President Sweeney has also renewed his commitment to refocus the AFL-
CIO's communications resources and efforts. The IAFF is the
14th largest of the 58 AFL-CIO affiliate unions and has experienced 35
consecutive years of membership growth -- putting it in the top five unions in
membership growth through the past five years. It also shows that Ohioans, by
a 2 to 1 margin, find her to be more honest and ethical than either Ken
Blackwell or Jim Petro. The poll showed that either Strickland or Coleman would
defeat Blackwell by 8 points . Traffic congestion,
identified as the number one problem, was cited by 37 percent in both
2005 and 2002. Identification as political
independents dropped from 21 percent in 1996 and 16 percent in
2002 to 14 percent in this year's survey.