Statement of AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders on the 2012 Election

[Omaha Steve]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 07, 2012

Statement of AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders on the 2012 Election Washington, DC —

“This is a good day for the working middle class, the Main Street movement and the American Dream. The American people sent a clear message that we will stand with a President who stands with all Americans. We pulled together to elect leaders who believe that ‘we are all in this together.’

“Working families reelected Pres. Barack Obama, giving him added strength in the fight to create jobs and opportunity. The voters have given a mandate to protect vital programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, and strengthen the middle class.

“Voters elected pro-worker candidates like Tammy Baldwin, Chris Murphy and Sherrod Brown to the U.S. Senate. And perhaps no race more clearly demonstrates the commitment of voters to uphold the values of Main Street than Elizabeth Warren’s victory in the Massachusetts Senate race. From the beginning, Warren offered a full throated embrace of Main Street’s fight to curb Wall Street’s power – and the active role that government has to play in the struggle.

“We are proud of the role AFSCME members and our sisters and brothers in the labor movement have played in this critical victory. More workers than ever got involved through the AFL-CIO’s political program, the smartest, biggest and broadest effort we’ve ever run. More than 65,000 AFSCME volunteers went into action, combining cutting-edge voter communications with massive grassroots strength.

“We will continue to pull together and fight for the values that inspire working men and women and have helped to produce these electoral victories.”