FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  PRESS CONTACT: Tim Sullivan

Legislative & Communications Director

Massachusetts AFL-CIO

(O) 781-324-8230 x. 11

tsullivan@massaflcio.org

 Massachusetts AFL-CIO Announces First Round of Candidate Endorsements from the Plymouth and Bristol Counties for 2008 Elections  Utility Workers Union of America Local 369, Braintree, Massachusetts, ISSUED June 30, 2008 – After reforming its endorsement procedures in March, the Executive Council of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is proud to announce its first round of endorsements in the 2008 election cycle voted on during its Executive Council Committee On Political Education (COPE) meeting on Friday, June 27th. In March the largest labor organization in the Commonwealth undertook a comprehensive overhaul of its endorsement procedures that seeks to heighten the level of candidate and elected official accountability. Part of the new endorsement procedures refined the timeline for when the Executive Council would take up endorsements of incumbents. At the Friday meeting, as a matter of procedure, motions were made to undertake endorsements for incumbent legislators without opponents and those with only general election opponents at a meeting after the legislative session concludes. Motions were made to endorse in federal elections, select state elections for open seats, and select incumbent legislators facing primary challengers. Among the candidates endorsed on Friday, in the first round of 2008 endorsements, were several candidates from the Plymouth and Bristol counties.  Endorsed candidates from the Plymouth and Bristol counties for Open Seats in the State Legislature included:  Jim Cantwell for State Representative in the race to succeed Representative Frank Hynes in the 4th Plymouth District. Kate Jackson for State Representative in the race to succeed Representative Lepper in the 2nd Bristol District. Endorsed area candidates challenging incumbents:  Democrat Devin Romanul for State Representative against Republican incumbent Representative Frederick "Jay" Barrows in the 1st Bristol District. Democrat Jay Ferguson for State Representative against Republican incumbent Representative Vinny DeMacedo in the 1^st Plymouth District.  The Massachusetts AFL-CIO Executive Council also made the following endorsements for Federal Offices: Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. Senator John Kerry for U.S. Senate (previously endorsed in February and re-affirmed on Friday, June 27^th.) The entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation. Special Friends of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO for the 2008 elections are traditionally determined at a later date and will be announced in the near future. Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert J. Haynes made the following statement regarding these endorsements: “These candidates have thoroughly demonstrated their solid commitment to working families through a series of vetting processes, such as questionnaires, candidates nights, interviews, and in their performance fighting for workers in offices they've held. We are proud to endorse them in the 2008 elections, and we look forward to announcing more endorsements of supporters of working families as the general election approaches. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO pledges our time, organization, resources, energy, and passion into electing these pro-worker candidates to these important political offices. We will communicate with our members to inform them of the myriad reasons why these candidates are the best candidates for working families.” The Plymouth/Bristol Central Labor Council President Kathy Manson said, “We have every confidence in the ability of these endorsed candidates to represent the needs of working families in the Plymouth/Bristol counties. The Central Labor Council is prepared to use expertise in grassroots mobilization to get out the vote for these candidates.”  ****The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is the largest umbrella labor organization in the Commonwealth, representing hundreds of thousands of working families from member unions and serves as the voice of working families in Massachusetts. Offices are located at 389 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. For additional information, call (781) 324-8230 or visit www.massaflcio.org. Robert J. Haynes is the President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Tim Sullivan is the contact for the press and may be reached at (781) 324-8230.