New Jersey and all of America are still waiting for every vote to be counted in Election 2021. Our Labor Movement can be deeply proud of our countless contributions to the campaigns of Gov. Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, our union brothers and sisters in the state Senate and Assembly, and our Labor Candidates.
Throughout Election Season, union sisters and brothers worked tirelessly on behalf of candidates who we know will continue to strengthen our communities and improve the lives of working families.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO thanks our Central Labor Councils, Building Trade Councils, affiliated unions and community allies, and most especially our thousands of union volunteers from every sector of labor and every part of the state who walked, texted and phoned right up until the minute the polls closed to Get Out The Vote.
Labor Candidates tallied 34 wins so far for Legislature and as county commissioners, and as local council and board of education members. CLICK HERE to see the results.
A Campaign Like No Other
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO quickly modified the Labor 2021 Program to adapt to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, a new election calendar, and the challenges of New Jersey’s Vote-by-Mail and Early Voting programs. With three ways for union voters to cast their ballots, and Election Day becoming Election Season as of mid-September, Labor 2021 had to start earlier and proceed more vigorously to be effective.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s COPE Team resumed and improved the cutting-edge CODE-U Program (Committee on Digital Empowerment – Union), a set of bite-sized facts and figures on Labor 2021-related issues. Every week for more than five months, affiliates received CODE-U emails, texts, website materials, tweets and Facebook memes targeted to working families and ready to use right out of the box. This educational and persuasive resource proved highly valuable during the campaign.
Tireless Work by Volunteers
Every Saturday from Labor Day until Election Day, and on Election Day itself, thousands of union volunteers educated union families about our labor-endorsed candidates, including our 59 Labor Candidates. Labor walk volunteers from High Point to Cape May proudly and enthusiastically distributed flyers door to door, and Got Out The Vote. The Labor 2021 program succeeded largely because of them.
Energized volunteers also rallied – twice! – for Governor Murphy outside the theaters where he debated his Republican opponent. The rousing rallies’ participants ventured from all over the state and from every sector of labor.
In-Person Labor Candidates School
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s nationally acclaimed Labor Candidates School convened in person again in August under strict health and safety protocols, generously hosted by the Middlesex/Somerset Central Labor Council and IBEW 456 in North Brunswick. At the Labor Candidates School, some 60 brothers and sisters learned the skills they need to win political elections.
Having become endorsed Labor Candidates, they then ran for state Senate and Assembly, county commissioner, local mayor and council, and board of education. As Labor Candidates, they became part of the most successful labor program of its kind in the country, and their dedication to their state and hometowns is a great reflection of their union values of solidarity, fairness and hard work.
Solidarity in Action
Once again, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s officers and staff congratulate tonight’s election winners, and we look forward to more good news as the final votes are counted.
We likewise congratulate and thank every brother and sister who contributed time, energy and ingenuity to this historic and hard-fought campaign. These victories belong to all of us.
We worked together and we won together! |
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