| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2000 |
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"Cashier Moms"---the Latino Vote---Working Families In Battleground States: The Keys To Election 2000 The 1.4 million member United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) represents the working families who are key to this year's election. UFCW President Doug Dority played a critical role in the AFL-CIO's early endorsement of Al Gore. Now, the UFCW is mobilizing a grassroots campaign centered in workplace breakrooms to turn on and turn out the vote among groups essential to Democratic victory in November. The UFCW is America's neighborhood union with over 900,000 members working in local supermarkets in nearly every area of the country. Another 250,000 UFCW members working in packing and food processing put dinner on the table for America's families. Almost 100,000 UFCW members working in nursing homes and hospitals tend for the sick and elderly. UFCW members are the core voters who decide elections. "Cashier moms," non-college educated working mothers, have replaced soccer moms as the key swing vote in the presidential race. With over 450,000 women members working in neighborhood supermarkets, the UFCW is the connection to this key demographic group. Latino workers are the fastest growing segment of the UFCW membership as a new wave of workers of Hispanic origin follow in the footsteps of previous immigrant groups into the meatpacking and food processing plants. As the largest union of packing and processing workers, the UFCW is the communications link to a large segment of the Latino population. The UFCW is a leading voice on immigration policy and the rights of immigrant workers. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, California, Illinois are among the key battleground states for Gore and Bush. The UFCW is one the largest labor unions in each of these states. Extensive polling of UFCW members has identified the issues that move the key demographic groups. Social Security was identified as the number one issue across age and gender lines. The UFCW can provide the media with delegates and non-delegates, including young workers, to talk about the issue. Health care and education ranked right behind Social Security. Protection against insurance company abuse in health care decision making and keeping health benefits at work are driving workers' concern. Hear from health care providers in the nursing home industry on the impact of the nation's health care crisis on our elderly and our workforce. Education funding, class room size and standards lead the list of factors influencing opinion on the education issue. With the UFCW you can get the view on these issues from the perspective of a neighborhood supermarket. |
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