How you vote is a personal decision.

We hope that you will consider the following candidates for Vermont elected offices that the Washington-Orange-Lamoille Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO believes are the best candidates for working families.

Candidates we're supporting in 2008.

Our Labor council practices independent political action. Independent political action is when we, as working people, decide what issues are important to us, and then hold political leaders (regardless of party) accountable to those issues. We don't hire lobbyists, we organize our members to confront politicians directly, by making phone calls and sending emails, letters and faxes, holding rallies and press conferences, and making trips to the Capitol.

Our Labor Council has been carrying on a discussion with our members and elected leaders, as well as with our community allies.  Through this process we established criteria for supporting political candidates in 2006 based on key issues facing working Vermonters:

• Signing the Vermont state AFL-CIO's "The Freedom to Join a Union" pledge.
  
• Working with unions to fight for universal, comprehensive health care.
  
• Working to end the war in Iraq - the single most important fact of  life in the US today.  Why?  Health care, housing, jobs, heating assistance, our schools, you name it we have needs not being met because our resources are being squandered on this war plus its our family members who are being sent to fight and pay the highest price for this war.
  
• Making sure that major development benefits the community in terms of the impact on jobs, affordable housing, sprawl, and other community concerns. Hold public hearings and negotiate community benefits agreements if considering big box stores.
  
• Passing a disclosure statute to get the data necessary to ensure the best use of economic development subsidies; enforce corporate accountability with clawback provisions that require companies to repay subsidies if they fail to meet agreed upon job creation and livable wage standards.
  
• Supporting affordable child-care.