STRENGTH VISION FUTURE PDC 30 ENDORSED CANDIDATES | 2016 PRIMARY ELECTIONS | MARCH 15, 2016 Important Election Information WHEN IS ELECTION DAY? CAN I VOTE EARLY (BEFORE MARCH 15TH)? Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Yes. There are two ways to vote early: 1. Early Vote: Beginning February 4th and continuing WHEN CAN I VOTE ON ELECTION DAY? until March 14th, you can “Early Vote” in person 6:00 am – 7:00 pm at designated locations. Call your County Clerk’s office to learn where you can vote early, or go to GRACE PERIOD REGISTRATION http://www.elections.il.gov/VotingInformation/ Wednesday, February 17 – Tuesday, March 15, 2016 EarlyVotingLocations.aspx. 2. Vote by Mail: Beginning on February 2nd, you ABSENTEE/MAIL-IN VOTING PERIOD can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. Tuesday, February 2 – Thursday, March 10, 2016 You must call your County Clerk’s office and request an absentee ballot. Once you receive the EARLY VOTING PERIOD absentee ballot from your County Clerk, it must be Monday, February 29 – Sunday, March 14, 2016 postmarked on or before midnight, March 10th. 2016 PRIMARY ELECTION DAY WHAT IS SAME-DAY VOTER REGISTRATION? Tuesday, March 15, 2016; 6:00 am - 7:00 pm You can register to vote AND submit your vote on Election Day in Illinois, through the same-day voter WHERE DO I VOTE? registration program. Registered voters can vote only at their designated Two forms of identification with at least one showing polling place, which is indicated on your voter your current residence address are needed when registration card. To find your polling place, call your you register in-person. Same-day registration County Clerk’s office, or visit: http://www.elections. locations vary by county. Call your County Clerk’s il.gov/VotingInformation/RegistrationLookup.aspx. office for information on your same-day voter registration location. PDC 30 Endorsed Candidates These pages are intended to provide guidance on who PDC 30 has endorsed for State, Federal, and County government positions for the 2016 Primary Elections on March 15th. For each candidate, a brief description is provided to give you a sense of who these candidates are, what they believe, and what issues are most important to them. These candidates have actively sought the endorsement of PDC 30 or are long-standing allies whose commitment to the needs of working people is unquestionable. If a candidate is not listed here, take some time to compare their record on labor issues and ask yourself whether they are an ideal candidate in today’s political climate. Working people have so much at stake. Your vote, as much as anyone’s, can determine the future health of your trade, your wages and benefits, and the quality of life your union provides. FEDERAL EXECUTIVE: Hillary Clinton, U.S. President Hillary Clinton’s distinctive • Raising the minimum wage and strengthening overtime experience gained during her rules. Hillary believes raising the minimum wage is long tenure as U.S. Senator and overdue. She has supported raising the federal minimum Secretary of State makes her the wage to $12, and believes that we should go further than clear choice for President. She is the federal minimum through state and local efforts. She committed to stand up for unions supports workers organizing and bargaining for higher and working people who make wages, such as the Fight for 15 and recent efforts in Los up the core of the American Angeles and New York to raise their minimum wage to $15. middle class. She advocates for She also supports the Obama Administration’s expansion of creating jobs with significant overtime rules to millions of workers. infrastructure investment to • Investments that create good jobs and build up workers’ rebuild our roads, bridges, and skills. Hillary supports expanding investments in our highways; investing in high-quality training programs to fill infrastructure to create good jobs and union jobs. And those jobs; and protecting union collective bargaining rights she has proposed rewarding high-quality training and and retirement security. As president, Hillary will be able to apprenticeships—which unions have established for meet the challenges that face a world leader on a daily basis, decades and are proven to raise wages for workers. while still embracing and focusing on the concerns working families have at home – including healthcare, education, and • Protecting workers from exploitation. Hillary believes we a living wage. If elected, Hillary Clinton will fight to make sure need to protect workers against employer misclassification, the United States remains a preeminent place of opportunity wage theft, and other forms of exploitation. among the nations of the world. • Supporting working families. Equal pay, paid family leave, Hillary Clinton believes that when unions are strong, America earned sick days, fair schedules, and quality affordable is strong. As president, she will fight to protect and strengthen child care aren’t luxuries—they’re necessities for families. America’s workforce by: Hillary will fight for workplace policies that will help more Americans enter the workforce and succeed. • Raising incomes for hardworking Americans. Raising incomes so that hardworking Americans can afford to live a • Protecting retirement security. After working hard for years, middle-class life is the defining economic challenge of our Americans deserve a secure and comfortable retirement. time. Hillary believes that our success as a nation should be Hillary will fight to protect retirement security, enhance—not measured by whether American families get ahead. She has privatize—Social Security, and push back against any effort proposed an economic plan to get it done. to undermine retirement benefits. She believes that, after working hard for years, Americans deserve a secure and • Restoring union collective bargaining rights. Hillary was comfortable retirement. an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act. Hillary will fight to strengthen the labor movement and to protect worker bargaining power. She will continue to stand up against attacks on collective bargaining and work to strengthen workers’ voices. 2 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE: Bill Foster, U.S. Congress, District 11 For District and Polling Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senate Bill Foster has a proven Place Information: Tammy Duckworth record of fighting for believes an important working people and 1. Go to: http://www.elections. issue facing our state he understands the il.gov/VotingInformation/ and the country is struggles working people RegistrationLookup.aspx (or creating jobs. She is and seniors face every scan the QR code below to focused on growing day. He advocates for establishing a view the site on your cell phone). our economy by advocating for small pro-growth plan to create good-paying businesses, investing in infrastructure, middle class jobs and preserve fair improving the lives of our Veterans, and wages for workers, protecting our jobs cutting government waste and fraud. by opposing tax breaks for companies She’s committed to preserving programs that move jobs offshore, and putting that address the immediate need for jobs working people first by standing against for the middle class. tax cuts that only help the richest Americans. Michael Noland, U.S. Congress, District 8 Cheri Bustos, U.S. Congress, District 17 Michael Noland has been a strong advocate Getting America back to 2. Enter your first name, last for working families work is a top priority for name, and zip code and click throughout his time in Cheri Bustos. She will “Submit.” the Illinois legislature. take on special interest As Congressman, he groups and provide an 3. The results on the next page will fight for comprehensive campaign independent voice for will confirm you are registered the middle class, working to eliminate finance reform; essential infrastructure to vote, and provide you with program funding that will lead to incentives for outsourcing jobs and transportation solutions in the northwest ensuring that all jobs provide live-able the address of your polling suburbs; and smarter investments in wages and great benefits. She believes place. education, focusing on early education, strong and healthy unions are the driving nutritional standards, and improvements force behind a sustainable middle class, 4. Next, enter your street number, to social services. and has established a strong record select your street name from supporting America’s labor force in the dropdown list, and click Brad Schneider, U.S. Congress, Washington. District 10 “Submit.” As Congressman, Brad ILLINOIS EXECUTIVE: 5. The results on the next page Schneider focuses on Susana Mendoza, Illinois Comptroller will provide you with all of the strengthening the middle Districts associated with your class, protecting the Susana Mendoza environment, helping is well regarded for address. small businesses grow, her leadership and legislation on social 6. If you live in Chicago, go to and securing opportunities for the future www.chicagoelections.com leaders of our Country. He believes services, education, long-term investments in America’s law enforcement, and (or scan the QR code below) infrastructure will provide the necessary job creation. As the daughter of a and click on “Your Voter foundation for business development union pipefitter, daughter-in-law of a Information.” across the nation. He promises to remain union electrician, and sister of a union steadfast on his commitments to a police officer, she knows firsthand the stronger, thriving middle class. importance of protecting labor union rights, and the difference unions make in providing Illinois families with a respectable quality of life. 3 GENERAL ELECTION EDITION – FALL 2014 | EDGE3 ILLINOIS SENATE: Christine Benson, Illinois Senate, ILLINOIS HOUSE: Cristina Castro, Illinois Senate, District 22 District 38 Michael Madigan, Illinois House, District 22 Cristina Castro has Christine Benson has proudly served the Kane dedicated 35 years to Michael Madigan County Board since a career in education, has served as Illinois 2008.