This section provides background and updates on issues and candidates in the 2004 elections. For more election information, visit the Minnesota AFL-CIO website, www.mnaflcio.org

Women make sure no voter is written off
October 29, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Candidates and political parties bombard us with multi-million dollar television ads. Campaign literature clutters our mailboxes. Mass e-mails invade our computers. Robo calls with recorded messages interrupt us at home.

'My Vote, My Right' campaign to ensure fair vote
October 25, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? Minnesota is one of 12 battleground states where the national AFL-CIO has launched an unprecedented effort to ensure that everyone eligible to vote is allowed to vote.

Minnesota Voters 'Bill of Rights'
GU?A?DECLARACI?N DE DERECHOS DE LOS VOTANTES EN MINNESOTA (Spanish)
TXOJ CAI XAIV TSA HAUV LUB XEEV MINNESOTA (Hmong)
October 25, 2004
ST. PAUL ? The "Minnesota Voters Bill of Rights" outlines the rights of all persons residing in Minnesota who meet federal voting eligibility requirements.

How to vote in person or by absentee ballot before Election Day
October 27, 2004
ST. PAUL ? You can vote absentee before the election if you will be away from home Election Day or meet certain other criteria.

Guild defends members suspended for attending ?Vote for Change? concert
October 19, 2004
ST. PAUL ? In a case already garnering national attention, the Minnesota Newspaper Guild/Typographical Union is defending two members suspended by the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper because they attended a ?Vote for Change? concert.

'Pink slip' demonstration targets Bush jobs record
October 15, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Using shocking pink signs ? and some unseasonable lingerie ? nearly 50 union members lined W. University Ave. in St. Paul to draw attention to the dismal economic performance of President George W. Bush.

Sweeney to lead GOTV rally
October 15, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will keynote a rally Tuesday, Oct. 19, to encourage union members to get out the vote for the Nov. 2 election. Labor unions also plan GOTV rallies in five other locations.

Unions take overtime protest to Bush campaign headquarters
October 5, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Shouting ?Don?t take away my overtime pay,? and delivering 10,000 postcards carrying the same message, 200 union demonstrators livened up lunchtime at Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters Tuesday, part of a coordinated, national blitz against the president?s new overtime rules.

Commentary: On Nov. 2, every vote is going to matter
By Bill McCarthy, president, Minneapolis CLUC
October 3, 2004
Only about a month remains until the Nov. 2 election. During these next few weeks, you can make a difference in the outcome of the election.

State runs out of voter registration cards
September 28, 2004
ST. PAUL ? With only days remaining for voters to pre-register for the Nov. 2 election, the office of Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer has run out of voter registration cards, a citizens group said Tuesday.

Young union members will "register to rock" Saturday
September 21, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? Look around most union gatherings, especially ?official? union events, and it becomes pretty obvious who?s not there. Among the missing: young adults. The Young Union Member caucus hopes to change that.

Health care should be in election spotlight, advocates say
September 16, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? The need for universal and affordable health care should be a major issue in this fall's elections, representatives of several citizens groups said Thursday at a summit on "The State of Health Care in Minnesota."

Economy is focus at Labor Day event
September 6, 2004
ST. PAUL ? More than 10,000 people packed Harriet Island Monday to hear Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards and others issue the call for a U.S. economy that protects workers and creates more jobs that pay well and provide decent benefits.

Edwards to headline St. Paul Labor Day event
September 2, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards will speak at the annual St. Paul Labor Day picnic Monday, Sept. 6, the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly announced.

Labor 2004 organizes nationwide doorknock
September 1, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? Labor 2004 is organizing a nationwide doorknock for Thursday, Sept. 2, the night that President George W. Bush will give his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.

Knock, Knock ... Going door-to-door this election season is full of surprises, union volunteers say
August 25, 2004
It sounds crazy. Walking up to a stranger?s door. Probably in a neighborhood you don?t know. Then talking to that stranger about one of those forbidden topics ? politics. But it?s crazy fun, according to union members who have made door-knocking their pastime in the days leading to the Nov. 2 elections.

State AFL-CIO announces 2004 legislative scorecard on working family issues
August 23, 2004
ST. PAUL ? The 2004 session of the Minnesota Legislature, by all accounts a disappointment to Labor, now bears a new distinction: ?The 2004 Minnesota AFL-CIO Voting Record marks a historic and unpleasant first: half of the House Republican Caucus, 40 Representatives, and almost half of the Senate Republican Caucus, 12 senators, had ZERO percent on their Minnesota AFL-CIO voting records this year.?

Union members mobilize for election
August 18, 2004
ROCHESTER ? Hundreds of union members attending the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention in Rochester fanned out across the city Tuesday to knock on doors and talk to fellow union members about this year's elections.

Cleland fires up AFL-CIO convention delegates
August 17, 2004
ROCHESTER ? Max Cleland, the former Georgia senator and decorated Vietnam veteran, brought delegates to their feet several times Tuesday in a spirited address to the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention.

Unions united in goal to defeat Bush, AFL-CIO president says
August 16, 2004
ROCHESTER ? Unions are ?more united than at any time in the past? to mobilize members to defeat Republican President George W. Bush and elect Democratic nominee John Kerry, the president of the national AFL-CIO told delegates to the state labor federation convention Monday.

Elections are major focus of state AFL-CIO convention
August 15, 2004
ROCHESTER ? More than 600 delegates attending the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention, which begins Monday at the Mayo Civic Center, will focus on electing pro-worker candidates in this year?s elections. Among the speakers they will hear will be former Sen. Max Cleland and national AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

Labor movement plans mass mobilization for elections
August 15, 2004
CHICAGO ? The labor movement's political plan for the 2004 campaign involves massive mobilization of members and accountability, union by union, for voter registration, information and get-out-the-vote efforts, top AFL-CIO officials say.

Vote your job first, Building Trades members urged
August 1, 2004
EVELETH ? In this fall?s elections, union members need to make one thing their priority ? their jobs. That?s the message Building Trades delegates heard repeatedly last week at their annual state convention.

Daly proposes expanding family leave
July 27, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Minnesota Congressional candidate Teresa Daly on Monday proposed expanding the number of workers eligible for unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

Democratic Party platform backs right to organize
July 25, 2004
BOSTON ? The Democratic Party has put itself solidly and strongly behind the right to organize, which gratified the 800 or more union delegates to its National Convention that began Sunday in Boston.

2nd District candidates hold sharply differing views on organizing
July 18, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? The two major party candidates for Congress in Minnesota?s 2nd Congressional District hold opposing views on how workers should organize.

Group to monitor election tactics
July 9, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Worried about election shenanigans? Then you need to be part of the Minnesota AFL-CIO?s new Voting Rights Protection Program.

Franken draws laughs, applause in politically charged speech
July 7, 2004
OAKDALE ? Political satirist and radio host Al Franken had a Twin Cities audience roaring with laughter at a luncheon Wednesday, but also carried a serious message about the need to preserve U.S. democracy.

Taking the message door to door
June 16, 2004
With their mission unmistakably defined by Painters international president James Williams, more than 400 Twin Cities union members rolled into the streets June 12, visiting hundreds more in the largest and earliest election mobilization effort the state?s labor movement has attempted in decades.

Frustrating session marks few gains for workers
May 18, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Working people can count a few small victories in the 2004 legislative session ? most noticeably legislation to correct some of the problems in the new federally mandated voter registration system.

Kerry trade policy stresses labor standards, enforcement
May 16, 2004
WASHINGTON ? Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says future trade pacts with other nations must include labor standards and the United States must toughen enforcement of the agreements.

Machinists call for fair contract, change in November
May 12, 2004
BLOOMINGTON ? Machinists marched and rallied Wednesday to demand a fair contract with Northwest Airlines and a change in government when workers go to the polls in November.

Hundreds register voters on Election Action Day
May 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Over 600 people took to the streets Saturday for Minnesota's Election Action Day, registering voters, signing up volunteers and canvassing door-to-door across the state, organizers said.

Legislature warned of consequences if it doesn?t clear up voter registration confusion
May 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? This November?s election ?is a scandal waiting to happen,? Sen. John Marty said Tuesday during a Senate Elections Committee hearing on the impact that the new federal Help America Vote Act is having on voter registration laws in Minnesota.

Grassroots coalition kicks off registration effort Saturday
May 6, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? On Saturday, dozens of grassroots organizations, coordinated by the Minnesota branch of America Votes, launch an unprecedented, six-month-long voter registration and mobilization effort.

Citizens appeal to Legislature to clear up voting law
May 6, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Saying ?the situation is critical,? The League of Women Voters, county election officials and citizen groups appealed to the Legislature to clear up confusion around new voting laws and prevent a possible disaster on Election Day.

Every vote counts?
April 25, 2004
ST. PAUL ? "Hanging chads." Inaccurate voter registration records. Thousands of eligible voters turned away from the polls. Florida's failures during the 2000 elections drew international attention. Such problems couldn't happen here in Minnesota. Or could they? Groups involved in helping people register for the 2004 election say they are running into confusion around new federal requirements -- and they say legislation passed by the Minnesota House would make matters worse. Read Union Advocate Editor Michael Kuchta's special report on problems posed by the new requirements -- and how they could affect your right to vote.

Marchers call for legislation to enact fair and clean elections
April 23, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS ? Led by 94-year-old ?Granny D,? about 100 marchers took to the streets of Minneapolis to speak out against the influence of big money in politics and to advocate for legislation to enact Fair And Clean Elections (FACE).

Machinists vow to make a difference in 2004 elections
April 19, 2004
BLOOMINGTON ? Brandishing signs that read ?JOBS! Worth Fighting For,? airline machinists vowed to make employment the central issue in this year?s elections.

Precinct caucuses offer opportunity to get involved
February 25, 2004
ST. PAUL ? March 2 is precinct caucus day in Minnesota, when political parties hold gatherings around the state to endorse candidates and discuss issues.

AFL-CIO endorses Kerry for president
February 19, 2004
WASHINGTON ? The AFL-CIO's general board Thursday endorsed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., for the Democratic presidential nomination. The decision by the AFL-CIO's top policymaking body commits the federation and its 13-million-plus members to his run for the White House.

Minnesota health care workers condemn Bush overtime plan
February 5, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Minnesota nurses and other health care workers will work longer hours for no more pay under the Bush administration?s new overtime regulations, workers said at a news conference Thursday.

Minnesota creates more jobs, but those jobs pay less
January 29, 2004
WASHINGTON ? The fastest-growing industries in Minnesota pay 29 percent less than the industries that are losing the most jobs, according to an analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

U.S. taking wrong direction on trade, citizens say
January 26, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Most Americans are too busy trying to make a living to worry about what trade negotiators are doing behind closed doors. But the growing number of international trade deals should be a serious concern for everyone, participants in a Congressional hearing said Monday.

Overtime fight not over, AFL-CIO says
January 23, 2004
WASHINGTON ? The fight against a Bush proposal that would strip millions of workers of overtime pay is not over, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney vowed, despite Thursday?s U.S. Senate vote ending a filibuster of the measure.

First it's NAFTA, now CAFTA
January 22, 2004
WASHINGTON ? Faced with disagreements over a proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas treaty, the Bush administration plowed ahead and, in mid-December, announced it had negotiated a Central American Free Trade Area treaty, CAFTA.

Minnesota groups pan 'State of the Union' speech
January 21, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Leaders of three Minnesota organizations say President Bush?s proposals in his ?State of the Union? speech fall far short of what is needed to address the country?s problems.

Opponents of Bush overtime plan win one more delay
January 20, 2004
WASHINGTON ? Senators opposed to President Bush?s plan to rewrite federal overtime regulations succeeded Tuesday in delaying a huge federal spending bill, but the win may be short-lived.

Showdown on overtime rules may happen Tuesday
January 19, 2004
WASHINGTON ? Tuesday, Jan. 20, is a critical day in the fight to stop President Bush's effort to take away overtime pay from millions of American workers.

Minnesota immigrants say Bush plan raises false hopes
January 13, 2004
BLOOMINGTON ? President Bush?s plan to ?reform? immigration policy through a new guest worker program does little to address the real problems in the current system, immigrants to Minnesota say.

Unionists pan Bush immigrant workers plan
January 9, 2004
WASHINGTON ? Top unionists involved in immigration issues panned the latest Bush administration plan dealing with both undocumented immigrant workers already in the United States and with people who want to come here to work.

Campaign continues to stop Bush cuts in overtime pay
December 22, 2003
WASHINGTON ? Labor will use Congress' month-long recess to resume and increase its campaign against President George W. Bush's plan to cut the eligibility of at least 8 million workers for overtime pay.

Prescription drug plan is worse than nothing at all, unions charge
November 24, 2003
Union leaders and allies say the Medicare prescription drug benefit approved by a congressional conference this week does more harm than good.

White collar job flight concerns lawmakers
October 29, 2003
WASHINGTON ? The flight of white-collar jobs overseas, never to return, is catching lawmakers' attention. But measures to deal with it face opposition from the information technology industry's lobby group.

Survey examines union, non-union views on parties, issues
October 26, 2003
WASHINGTON ? Unionists and non-unionists differ little on issues, except in voting by party, a new survey shows.

AFL-CIO postpones presidential endorsement
October 1, 2003
WASHINGTON ? The AFL-CIO has postponed any decision on making an endorsement in the race for president of the United States.