AFL-CIO steps up get-out-the-vote effort,Get to the polls next week, because

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http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/25/union.vote.campaign/index.html

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has a blunt message for labor union members: Get to the polls next week, because "as bad as things are, they can get a whole lot worse."

As part of a massive get-out-the-vote operation, the labor federation is sending out 10 million personalized letters from Trumka as a final mailing to its membership Monday. Enclosed with each letter is a detailed "slate card" tailored to each member. It lists all of the state-wide candidates endorsed by labor, as well as the candidates for the House of Representatives and the state legislature. The card includes the person's polling place and information about what kind of identification they may need to bring.

Trumka penned two letters Monday, each with a different message, which the union's spokesman called "the most sophisticated (get-out-the-vote) mail program the AFL-CIO has ever done." The union uses "micro targeting" analysis to pinpoint the issues union members care about and that, in turn, determines which letter they will receive.

In one version, Trumka warns his members that if the Republicans win control of Congress they will privatize Social Security, send jobs to China, cut off any future extensions of unemployment benefits and let insurance companies take away health care coverage. The letter closes by saying, "get mad and do something about it."