Good News:Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Union Drops Endorsement of "Democrat" TNGA Rep. Charles Curtiss

[doeriver]

TN union now will endorse candidates based on voting record
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130624/BUSINESS01/306240027/TN-union-now-will-endorse-candidates-based-voting-record
Jun. 24, 2013

The state’s top labor union is changing how it endorses candidates, and it could cost at least one veteran Democratic legislator its longstanding support.

The Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council will focus on voting records, and not on political labels, as it evaluates candidates in coming state races. The council approved the change in March, President Gary Moore said.

“We’re going to look at and endorse candidates who support labor regardless of party affiliation,” he said.

That’s a shift for the council, which represents about 300 unions and affiliates with 60,000-plus members in Tennessee and has a history of heavily favoring Democrats. In the 2012 state legislative campaign, it endorsed 53 Democrats, one independent and one Republican.

The council previously based its political endorsements largely on the candidates’ party affiliations and pledges to support workers but never really followed up to verify whether their votes matched their words, Moore said.

When the council did so for the 2013 legislative session, there were some surprising results.

“We found out that not all Democrats are friends with working people,” Moore said, singling out Rep. Charles Curtiss of Sparta as an example.

Curtiss voted against the council’s position on six key bills, including Gov. Bill Haslam’s workers compensation reform measure. Moore said that could cost Curtiss the council’s endorsement in the 2014 campaign.

(more at hyperlink above)



Tennessee General Assembly - TNGA Rep. Charles Curtiss
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/house/members/h43.html

Rep. Charles Curtiss - Legislation/Bills Sponsored

[Laelth]

1. k&r for labor. n/t

-Laelth

[Go Vols]

2. +1