Unprecedented Union Grassroots Participation

Despite John Kerry’s well-fought, energetic campaign to take back America for working families, incumbent George W. Bush narrowly won re-election.

In a post-election message to BAC Local Union members, officers, and staff, many of whom worked night and day on behalf of the Kerry-Edwards ticket through the AFL-CIO’s Labor 2004 program and other campaign activities, BAC President John J. Flynn expressed his appreciation “to all for the tremendous time and energy you have expended to change the direction of the country…and for keeping our candidate, John Kerry, engaged and competitive in this race.” Flynn credited BAC and other union activists’ hard work for elevating Kerry’s standing in the polls to within only a few percentage points of unseating a President who once enjoyed a 90 percent approval rating.

AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney called the unprecedented grassroots participation by working men and women the “biggest, most unified labor program ever.” According to the AFL-CIO, record numbers of union members volunteered in the weeks leading up to the election. More than 225,000 union volunteers knocked on doors, placed phone calls, and distributed leaflets as part of the Labor 2004 program.

Even more important were the millions of union members who cast their ballots. On November 2nd, out of all the votes cast, one in every four was a union household member, adding up to a total of 27 million voters. Among union members who voted, 65 percent supported John Kerry and 33 percent supported George W. Bush, according to a post-election survey conducted by a national survey research firm for the AFL-CIO. Reflecting their concerns about the direction the country is heading, BAC members boasted an even stronger turnout, with 82 percent of those surveyed saying they voted in the presidential election, and 69 percent casting their vote for John Kerry. “In fact, support for Kerry was greatest – 70 percent or higher – among our working members,” says Flynn.