StoriesE you'll find on this page: Joint Council Endorses Gregoire America's Most Powerful Special Interest: YOU With a Little Bit of Help From Our Friends

Joint Council Executive Board Endorses Gregoire For 2008 Race

President Al Hobart and the Joint Executive Board are pleased to announce the endorsement of Christine Gregoire for the 2008 Governor’s race.  “Governor Gregoire is committed to helping working families by expanding opportunities for family wage jobs and promoting growth while maintaining the environment that makes Washington such a great place to live.”, said President Hobart.  “The Teamsters are honored to be able to support a candidate who is such an advocate of working families.”

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America’s Most Powerful Special Interest: YOU

Want to influence a politician?

It’s fun. And easy. All you have to do is vote.

Better yet, get other people to vote. Here’s how. Just send in a contribution to D.R.I.V.E. (Democratic, Republican, Independent Voter Education), the Teamsters political action committee.

D.R.I.V.E. will be working hard all summer to get more Teamsters to go to the polls this fall. They will be reminding Americans that the real power in this country doesn’t belong to Exxon and Jack Abramoff. It belongs to the American people.

This November, with your help, we’ll be reminding politicians of the same thing.

NOTE: Please send donations to IBT DRIVE, 25 Louisiana Ave, NW, Washington D.C. 20001. Federal Law prohibits soliciting or accepting DRIVE contributions from the general public. Only Teamster members, exempt Teamster employees and the family members of both groups are allowed to contribute to DRIVE. Any contributions from the general public will be returned to the donor.

For more information regarding DRIVE click here.

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With A Little Bit Of Help From Our Friends
By Marla McKibbin

Nobody can fault Teamster members in Washington State for not getting involved. Our record of commitment speaks for itself.

In May we raised $24,000 in donations for Muscular Dystrophy, Blood Drives save countless lives of people we will never even meet. Teamsters across the State sponsor numerous Little League baseball teams and football teams. At the Joint Council Semi-Annual meeting last fall over one-thousand dollars was collected on the spot for Camp Prime Time , a non-profit organization founded to provide an outdoor recreational facility for terminally/seriously ill children and their families. Food baskets are distributed to families in crisis every Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But there is another way of getting involved in which our members could and should be doing more. With the political season well upon us, each of us should ask what we can do to help make a better future for ourselves, our families, and our Union.

The first step is registering voters. Are you a registered voter? Are all the members of your family? Are your neighbors? Registration forms are available at many locations - your Local Union can get them for you. Absentee voting is quick, painless and easy. Your vote does count!

A little bit goes a long way in politics. Whether it's taking the time to talk with your City, County, or State Representatives or volunteering to work on a campaign, a few hours can make a big impression on the men and women who are seeking office.

Hold a candidate's sign on the street corner; write a letter to the editor, or address envelopes at campaign headquarters. And every time you help out, talk about being a Teamster and what you stand for - and what you expect a politician to stand for.

Remember - with more than 100 million votes cast in the last presidential election, just 537 votes in Florida decided the outcome, and set the direction for our nation and the world. Get involved. It will make a difference.

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