Proposition 32: Members start early to reach out to voters
10:36 AM - September 5, 2012
Unit 1 auditor: ‘Too much is at stake to stand still’
Even though it’s a hot day in August and the election is not
until November, Antonio Negrete joined with dozens of Local 1000
members and staff to knock on doors and contact voters at
home.
“It’s only August, but there’s too much at stake in this election
for us to stand still right now,” said Negrete, an auditor with
25 years experience at the State Controller’s Office. “If
Proposition 32 passes, we lose our ability to protect our
benefits and wages from political manipulation.”
Negrete is part of a statewide effort to reach out to voters
early and educate them that Proposition 32 is not what it seems.
The initiative, which is largely funded by wealthy corporate
donors and right-wing tycoons, masquerades as cam- paign reform.
But as nonpartisan, good government groups including Common Cause
and the League of Women Voters have pointed out, Proposition 32
is designed to give one side a political advantage by limiting
the ability of labor unions to collect political donations from
members.
“After working 25 years for elected officials, I know that my job
is af- fected by the political process,” Negrete said. “As an
auditor in Bargaining Unit 1, I know that I need to step up to
protect my retire- ment security and other benefits we have
worked so hard to earn.”
Local 1000 members will be making phone calls after work and
knocking on doors on week- ends to tell voters the truth about
Proposition 32. If you want to join, go to seiu1000.me/MjEjTA
“I’m working to stop Proposition 32 because I value our ability
to protect our benefits through the political process,” said Dee
Dee Munson, an Employment Development Department adjudicator. “If
Prop. 32 passes, you will see big changes in future years.
Everything we have fought for and gained will be taken away from
us, and we will be powerless.”