“Your Vote is your Voice” 

Hello;
My name is Neil Struthers and I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Santa Clara & San Benito Counties Building & Construction Trades Council. The Council represents approximately 35,000 union construction workers and on behalf of all of them I want to welcome you to our site. In this site you will find educational material and messages of public officials on the many issues that affect working families.

It is my hope that you find this site …www.LaborVote.org useful and you visit us again. As I said in the beginning of this message, “Your Vote is your Voice” and I also think that your voice not only should be heard but should be loud as well. That’s why we have put together this material in which you will find the proper tools to express yourself in the different political levels of the United States system, at the federal, state and most importantly the local level.

 “Freedom is not Free” and we must make sure that the brothers and sisters that paid the ultimate price for it are not taken for granted. “The right to vote is not a privilege…it is a responsibility”…Vote Loud…Vote Proud…Vote!

Ask people to describe themselves and one of the first things most people say is their occupation. Physiologists will argue that your occupation is what you do not who you are. Truth is all of us are much more that just workers. 

We are complex people with different beliefs and interests. We have different family situations, different religions, and different personal and community interests. All of these influence our decision making, including when we vote this November. 

This site was created to give you the opportunity to educate yourself on where each of the candidates stands on issues. We hope that you do that. While you are asking candidates about issues of importance to you include questions about workers issues. Ask about Prevailing wage, overtime pay, replacement workers,  worker safety, right to collectively bargain, and any other issue related to your ability to maintain and improve your current standard of living.

I think the reason most of us include our occupation when we describe ourselves is that we understand that our ability to achieve and maintain a good standard of living is fundamental in our ability to support our beliefs to our family and in our community. Every decision you make on election day has the potential to effect your ability to maintain and improve your current standard of living, make sure you understand how before casting your vote.