(ISSN 0023-6667) Labor working for election wins Tuesday In this last week before Romney? What do you think not worked as promised, they election day, area labor is labor’s prospects would be did not produce good paying focused on getting out the vote under that administration. jobs, but they did help the rich for its endorsed candidates Especially if he has a get richer,” said Kuitu. “The from the presidential top of the Republican-controlled House wealthy, banks, and corpora- ticket to school board races and Senate to destroy the mid- tions are literally sitting on tril- near the bottom. After many dle class and unions. lions of dollars in cash. The months of work, and in spite of Somehow conservative richest 400 Americans have the wide difference between interests have wormed their more wealth now than the candidates, no one is willing to way into the thinking of even An Injury to One is an Injury to All! See Labor works...page 2 WEDNESDAY VOL. 119 place bets on who the winners middle class trade unionists. will be in many big contests. “I can’t believe some of the OCTOBER 31, 2012 NO. 9 Think of it. President phone calls I’ve had,” said Mary Jo Connolly, a retired AFL-CIO teacher who volunteers for Endorsed labor’s political campaigns every year. Too many union Candidates members don’t understand that www.mnaflcio.org Republican elected officials www.wisaflcio.org don’t want to protect the mid- dle class, they want to destroy U.S. President it to help their friends. Pres. Barack Obama “Is anyone seriously expect- VP Joe Biden ing a member of the 1% to work for the interests of the U.S. Senate 99% as our president,” asks Amy Klobuchar - MN Carlton County Central Labor Tammy Baldwin - WI Body president Mike Kuitu about Romney. “Friends don’t U.S. House let friends vote Republican. We Rick Nolan - MN 8 have great DFL candidates. Pat Kreitlow - WI 7 Vote for them!” The rest of this week the MINNESOTA Over 100 people turned out in Wellstone Hall Oct. 25 for a pancake breakfast rally with whirlwind will continue until No Rick Nolan, and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tom Harkin, and Al Franken as labor voters get their say next Voter photo ID- went into the last stage of its Get Out The Vote drive on the 10th anniversary of the air- Tuesday. President Bill Clinton Anti-marriage- No plane crash that took the lives of Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, and six others. was in Duluth yesterday. A tour District 3 Wellstone anniversary adds energy to election bus with Senator Amy Klobuchar, Governor Mark Senator Tom Bakk October 25th marked the anniversary observances have solemn.” Rep. David Dill - 3A 10-year anniversary of the and will be held at Carleton With Harkin were Senators Dayton and others is circling the region today and tomorrow. Rep. Mary Murphy - 3B Eveleth airplane crash that took College, in the Twin Cities, and Amy Klobuchar, who is up for District 5 the life of U.S. Senator Paul in Washington DC. election, and Al Franken. Rick Vice President Joe Biden is Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, his Attending the events in Nolan completed the impres- expected in Superior Friday. Senator Tom Saxhaug daughter, three campaign staff, Duluth and on the Iron Range sive foursome as he seeks to There’s no doubt the stakes Rep. Tom Anzelc - 5B and two pilots. Solemn memo- was Wellstone’s closest friend unseat Republican Chip are high and no one knows how District 6 the 9% of undecided voters rial events were held in the in the Senate, Iowa Senator Cravaack as northeast Minne- Senator David Tomassoni region, but they also generated Tom Harkin. sota’s 8th Congressional Dis- will decide the election. With the Supreme Court’s Rep. Carly Melin - 6A energy for the November 6 Over 100 people joined trict representative after he Jason Metsa - 6B presidential general election. Harkin early that morning for upset Jim Oberstar two years Citizens United ruling, money Many said that’s just the the pancake breakfast/memori- ago. A dozen elected officials, has poisoned our elections. District 7 way Wellstone would have al/rally in Wellstone Hall in the and some who are running for Republicans and their Super Senator Roger Reinert wanted it. Duluth Labor Temple. office for the first time had the PAC allies have outspent Dem- Rep. Tom Huntley - 7A The day started at 7:00 a.m. “Paul was the happiest war- room buzzing. It was get out ocrats by $131.6 million, and Erik Simonson - 7B in the Duluth Labor Temple’s rior I ever met,” Harkin said. the vote time with just 12 days they’ve got $169 million in the bank to use before the election. District 11 Wellstone Hall, continued with “He had the joy of life. He to the election. Senator Tony Lourey a 1:00 observance at the wouldn’t want us to be overly After eating Nolan, Harkin, Money talks, unfortunately. Wellstone Memorial site, fol- Klobuchar, and Franken Getting the rich richer is Mike Sundin - 11A lowed by a rally at the Clinton walked the room talking to as plank number one of the GOP Tim Faust - 11B Town Hall, and ended at 9:30 many people as possible before platform. Cutting taxes for St. Louis County p.m. in Wellstone Hall again. addressing the entire gathering. them is still their easy way as Bush tax cuts are still in place. Commissioner Other Wellstone 10th Klobuchar is considered a Steve O’Neil - Dist. 2 safe bet to win her race. In fact, “The Bush Tax cuts have she spent none of her time talk- Debbie Isabell-Nelson -D3 ing about her campaign. Nor Peg Sweeney - Dist. 5 did her colleague Senator Al Lake County Franken. Everyone was more Commissioner concerned with helping get Brad Jones - Dist. 2 President Barack Obama re- elected and having Nolan WISCONSIN defeat Cravaack. “I believe this is our year,” Assembly Franken said. “Let’s end the Rep. Nick Milroy - 73 Cravaack era.” Rep. Janet Bewley - 74 USW Local 1028’s Lee Popo- Klobuchar said the energy vich took a vacation day Oct. in the room was what it takes to PLEASE VOTE 25 in order to get a plate of VOTE NEXT TUESDAY! his favorite kind of pancakes See Wellstone still...page 11 Voting info on page 8 Tuesday, Nov. 6 Selinski, Rangers create their own pol ad Labor working election...from page 1 If you see Tom Selinski run- vative candidates and fill the tired of all of the super PAC poorest 150 million Americans. To put that another way, ning around with a orange five air waves with attack ads. money from billionaires that is imagine that the population of Wrenshall, MN has more wealth gallon pail, drop a few bucks in Now most of us would only trying to buy the re-election of than the population of the 42 lowest populated states.” it. A number of folks did just be able to shrug our shoulders Republican Rep. Chip Cra- One Republican strategy is to make citizens so disgusted with that last Thursday at Labor and do our best to ignore the vaack in northern Minnesota’s politics and government that they won’t even vote. That worked Movie Night in Wellstone Hall. TV ads. But Selinski, a mem- 8th Congressional District. two years ago when Jim Oberstar lost. Earlier this month Tom had ber of IBEW Local 242, hap- With his equipment in tow, “All the races are too close to call, even with Obama doing enough of the Koch Brothers pens to have all the equipment Selinski headed north from his well in Wisconsin last time,” said Warren Bender, Superior and Sheldon Adelson using needed to create his own ads. Duluth home to video friends Federation of Labor Corresponding Secretary. “We won’t know their billions to support conser- You’ll remember him as the on the Iron Range. who won until late election night, so every eligible voter has to producer of the acclaimed film His 30-second ad addresses get out and vote.” “Spies In Steel.” He taught Cravaack as the hated “compa- While everyone could agree that nothing matters if Obama himself how to be a filmmaker ny man” that many on the Iron isn’t re-elected, many are still upset at tea party wins in 2010 that so he could tell his family’s Range view him as. saw icons like Oberstar toppled. story of being blackballed on “What really got us was that Rick Nolan has energized many with his campaign against the Iron Range for union activ- BS ad about how Cravaack is a Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack in Minnesota’s 8th ity. He next did a documentary union guy,” said Tom Selinski, Congressional District. That contest is the most expensive U.S. on the Tyomies Eteenpain the chairman of the Regular House of Representatives race in the nation. Nolan served in the newspaper, “For The Common Folks Committee. “Real work- House from 1975-1981 and has Democratic big hitters coming Good.” ing people don’t have a chance to the region on his behalf. Energetic, very smart, and very good “Some of the ads I was see- to tell their story when every on his feet addressing a crowd, Nolan’s platform fits labor’s per- ing were just terrible and some minute of TV time is swamped fectly. But he is just ahead of Cravaack in polling.