Thousands of Northeast Carpenters Get Out the Vote on Election Day 2017

November 7, 2017 – Edison, NJ –  On Election Day 2017, the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) is mobilizing more than 1,000 Union Carpenters throughout the Northeast to conduct Get Out The Vote (GOTV) canvassing to increase voter turnout for pro-labor candidates across the region.

“Every vote counts. That’s why it’s so important for you to take the time on Election Day and get out to vote,” said John Ballantyne, NRCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer. “It’s imperative that you vote for candidates, like New Jersey Gubernatorial Candidate Phil Murphy, who represent Union values and will stand up for the hardworking men and women of our region.”

Over the last six weeks, thousands of NRCC carpenters have made phone calls and knocked on doors encouraging citizens to vote for pro-labor candidates who support workers’ rights, existing labor law enforcement, responsible bidder language and project labor agreements.

Some of NRCC’s endorsed candidates, including our carpenters running for public office, are:

New Jersey

• Phil Murphy (D) for Governor and Sheila Oliver (D) for Lt. Governor
• Steven Oroho (R) for State Senate-District 24
• Steve Fulop (D) for Jersey City Mayor
• Frank Gilliam (D) for Atlantic City Mayor
• Mike DeFusco (D) for Hoboken Mayor
• Michael Soriano (D) for Parsippany Mayor

Carpenter candidates in New Jersey

• Troy Singleton (D) for State Senate-District 7
• Bruce Garganio (R) for Burlington County Freeholder
• Jonathan Young (D) for Camden County Freeholder
• Arnold Harrison (NP) for Southampton Township School Board
• Randy Hinton (D) for Pompton Lakes Council
• Mike Ring (R) for Absecon City Council
• Kevin Wessler (D) for Port Republic Council
• John Willett (NP) for Pembertown Township School Board
• Thomas VanArtsdalen (R) for Dennis Township Council

New York

• Jack Martins (R) for Nassau County Executive
• Byron Brown (D) for City of Buffalo Mayor
• Kathy Sheehan (D) for City of Albany Mayor
• Mike Khader (D) for Yonkers City Council President
• Corazon Pineda (D) for Yonkers City Council-District 2
• Maeve Scott (D) for Yonkers City Council-District 4
• Anthony Pagano (D) for Yonkers City Council-District 6

Carpenter candidates in New York

• Chris Austin (R) for Town of Hume Council
• Tom Mairs (R) for Town of Avon Council
• Robert Wilmott (R) for Oswego City Council
• Joe Sapio (I/C) for Seneca County District Attorney
• Fred Swayze Jr. (D) for Town of Van Etten Council

Pennsylvania

• Larry Krasner (D) for City of Philadelphia District Attorney

·         Carolyn H. Nichols (D) for State Superior Court

·         Matt Wolf (D) for Municipal Court, Philadelphia County

• Ed Pawlowski (D) for Mayor of the City of Allentown

Carpenter candidates in Pennsylvania

• Jim Edinger (D) for City of Easton Council
• Kevin Lott (D) for Hellertown Borough Council (At-Large)
• David Gannon (D) for Plymouth Township Council (Ward 1)

For a full list of the elected officials that we are endorsing in the 2017 election, please visit the October edition of The Digital Carpenter at: www.northeastcarpenters.org/digitalcarpenter2

In addition to encouraging our members to vote for elected official candidates who are pro-labor and support strong worker rights, NRCC is encouraging members to Vote NO on the New York State Constitutional Convention question. Otherwise known as Proposal 1, the State Constitutional Convention question is located on the back of New York ballots.

“We’re encouraging all of our members to Vote No on the New York State Constitutional Convention because it helps to safeguard workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively and it requires that prevailing wages are paid on public works projects,” said Ballantyne. “Don’t let special interests open up the Constitution and degrade worker rights like prevailing wage rates, collective bargaining and workers’ compensation.”

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters takes the issue of endorsing elected official candidates seriously and only endorses candidates who hold the same values as we do of protecting and preserving workers’ rights. We only provide endorsements to candidates that support prevailing wage protections, encourage the use of Project Labor Agreements, fight 1099 Worker Misclassification and support fair wages and benefits for working people.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today’s construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: www.northeastcarpenters.org; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; or Twitter: https://twitter.com/nrccarpenters.