Labor Union Blog

It's still dark when union volunteers are at plant gates, greeting Kentucky union members with info on the state's upcoming key elections.

Rachele Huennekens, AFL-CIO Media Outreach fellow, is blogging and leafleting her way through the eighth day of a 10-day bus tour through Kentucky, where former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) is challenging Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), who has canceled bargaining rights for state employees and taken other anti-worker stands. Dozens of local labor leaders and union volunteers are taking part in the Bluegrass Express tour, which over the weekend made stops at many diverse worksites.

On Friday, Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan, AFL-CIO field representative Don Slaiman, Labor 2007 zone coordinator Eddie Bowling and I were joined by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14300 President Ben Suttles and USW Vice President Gary Smith. Together, we distributed leaflets at the Jackson/MSC steel plant in Barbourville in southeastern Kentucky. Next, we visited the nearby Seal Technologies plant and then made our way to Lexington, where we distributed leaflets to Brenda Lynn, SEIU Local 541 vice president, to pass on to members of her local union who are employed at the famous Keeneland horse race track.