Target 5000 - Union Members Holding Public Office

Some of the most important political decisions for working families are made at the local level and the Massachusetts Labor Movement works hard to elect people who will be a voice for labor on important local boards, so that labor has a say in the direction of our communities.  The Massachusetts Labor Movement is only as strong as its members are active. The voices of union members are needed as much in communities as it is in your local union.

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has been working hard to implement its Target 5000 Program which aims to elect union members to all levels of political office. Each year union members all over the Commonwealth run for office, motivated by the commitment to improve the lives of working families in their community. It is a goal of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO to elect more union members to public office so that working families are better represented at all levels of government.

Anyone can help the Massachusetts AFL-CIO in this effort by identifying union members from your local or who you know who hold or are running for appointed or elected office so that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO may update its growing database. Please contact Massachusetts AFL-CIO Political Director Bob Bower at bbower@massaflcio.org or Political and Legislative Coordinator Chrissy Long at clong@massaflcio.org. Please click here to see the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s C.O.P.E. page.

Stay tuned for more details, success stories and a comprehensive list of the hundreds of union members in Massachusetts currently holding public office.

 

Success stories of 2009:

Massachusetts AFL-CIO holds first annual Union Candidate School Friday, September 25,2009.

Target 5000 Program Gains Momentum as Two More Union Members are Elected to Public Office Over the Past Two Weeks - May 8, 2009

Secretary-Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 34 Elected to Local Commission in Dedham - April 17, 2009

 

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1st Annual Massachusetts AFL-CIO Union Candidate School

On Friday, September 25th, 2009, the Mass AFL-CIO and the Target 5000 Program held our Inagural Union Candidate School. This program is perfect for any union member who:
  • Currently holds public office and is running for re-election, or higher office
  • Is considering a run for public office
  • Has unsuccessfully run for public office and wishes to run again
Click HERE for more information on this great opportunity for union members! The event was a great success! Click HERE to learn more about the Inaugral Union Candidate School

Legislative Issues

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s core values are the foundation of what we believe is a quality of life worthy of the skills, contributions and labor of working families. Among them are the following:  
  • Right to Organize; Collective Bargaining Rights; Wages; Prevailing Wage; Health Care Quality, Affordability and Accessibility; Pensions and Retirement Security; Education; Occupational Safety and Health; Economic Safety Net; Revenues and Tax System Fairness; Public Safety; High Quality, Worker-Focused Economic and Workforce Development
Click here to see details on each of these important issues.  Click here to see the Mass. AFL-CIO's 2009-2010 Legislative Agenda.

COPE Political Roundtable

Join fellow politically active members of the Massachusetts Labor Movement in a discussion on the present and future of labor's political program in the Commonwealth. The Political Education Roundtable is held once a month on the third Thursday of the month from October - November and January - June at the Massachusetts Archives Building in Boston.
  • There will be no COPE Political Roundtable during the months of July and August.  It will resume in September.  Please stay tuned for more details on the September meeting.
  • Click HERE to read summaries about previous months' discussions.