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

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.