Politicians speaking to union members should focus on economic policy

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Jared Abbott, Director of the Center for Working-Class Politics, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the poor messaging he’s seen from political candidates attempting to speak to union members.

Abbott said the Center for Working-Class Politics is a small research collective of union members, activists and academics that spotlights messaging that is important to union members across the nation. The research uses focus groups, interviews and surveys to inform politicians on messaging that speaks to union members' concerns. Abbott is a member of the California Faculty Association and an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

According to Abbott, both presidential nominees have missed the mark on their messaging. In a survey of more than 1,000 union members in Pennsylvania, it was found that the messaging relating to economic policy was better received than the threatening and fear-inducing messaging. Abbott explained more about the specifics the Center found during the survey and how different conversations were received by union members.

While this survey was held in Pennsylvania, Abbott said the results back up the information they have seen nationwide. He said there has been working class-focused messaging but it has been a fraction of the total advertising spend by either candidate. Abbott talked about the more well-received methods of sharing campaign information like canvassing by union members. It is important to see unions sharing information with their members, he said, but if politicians want to speak to the union members they will need to improve their messaging.

Listen to the show above to learn more about political messaging for union members from Abbott.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Politicians speaking to union members should focus on economic policy

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