Members voting on AFL-CIO Forum questions; 15,000 expected at Soldier Field, Olbermann is moderator

[DeepModem Mom]

AFL-CIO Weblog: Only a Few Days Left to Vote for Your Top Questions
by Seth Michaels, Jul 31, 2007



Only one week left to vote for the questions you want asked at the nationally broadcast Aug. 7 AFL-CIO Presidential Candidate Forum.

More than 2,200 of you have submitted questions, and more than 25,000 have voted, in our contest, “What Do You Want to Ask the Candidates?” We’re one step closer to choosing the questions you want answered. MSNBC “Countdown” host Keith Olbermann, who is moderating the forum, will ask the winning questions, and the candidates will respond in front of an audience of 15,000 working men and women at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

The 2,200 questions cover a wide variety of topics, from health care and retirement to trade to the war in Iraq. We announced the five winners of the first preliminary round last week; today, we’re revealing the five winners of the second preliminary round. In the final round, running this week, you’ll get the chance to vote for your top two favorites among the 10 finalists.

Here are the top questions from the second round of our contest. This week, they’ll be combined with the five finalists from the first round. You have another chance to vote for your favorites. Voting ends Sun., Aug. 5, at midnight.

Be sure to watch the Forum on MSNBC, or listen on XM Radio, Aug. 7 from 7–8:30 p.m. EDT. You’ll get to see real answers on the issues that matter to you.

The finalists:

“Pride at Work,” an Office and Professional Employees member from Pennsylvania, asks:
Since civil unions do not provide couples with access to federal benefits, and civil unions are failing to provide equal benefits in states where they are in effect, where do you stand on ending marriage discrimination in this country?

“Unionist,” a UAW member from Indiana, asks:
We are competing with oppressive nations that have forced and child labor for the jobs we once had. What would you do to end this race to the bottom for America’s workers and what would you do to get the jobs back that were once ours?

“JD,” an AFSCME member from Connecticut, asks:
If elected, would you introduce legislation to both make it easier to join or organize a labor union, as well as increasing penalties for those who are willing to break existing unions or unions in their infancy?

“Uniongal,” a Communications Workers of America member from Colorado, asks:
How do you feel about the situation with Corporate America and what do you plan to do in order to give the power back to the people?

“Union Lifer,” a United Food and Commercial Workers International Union member from California, asks:
How can you reassure people who have rightfully earned a pension that they will be able to take advantage of that benefit without descending into poverty?...

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/07/31/only-a-few-days-left-to-vote-for-your-top-questions/