Matt Yonka is the Business Manager of IBEW Local 80. Matt also serves as president of the Building & Construction Trades Council in Tidewater and is a Vice President of the Eastern Virginia Area Labor Federation.

IBEW Local 80 was formed over 100 years ago and has a membership of 600 journeymen and apprentices with an additional 250 retirees. The membership of IBEW Local 80 is concentrated in Hampton Roads but covers the area from the Eastern Shore down to the Outer Banks and to the western end of Virginia.

Matt explains that along with the other building trades in Virginia, IBEW Local 80 is busy educating their apprentices about the election and issues at stake: "Young people want to be involved, they just need to be asked. They're there doing phone banks and precinct walks because they are willing to do what needs to be done to get the right people elected."

"Mark Warner was a super governor. Whatever he does, he's going to be good for the middle class and watch out for them. He understands everything that unions stand for and he supports us."

Matt lives in the 2nd Congressional District which has a close race between labor-endorsed candidate Glenn Nye and Thelma Drake. Matt is excited by the opportunity to send Glenn to congress because "Thelma Drake is unrealistic when it comes to any of our issues. She has nothing to do with us. She ignores us at every turn. Glenn Nye is going to be completely different. He believes in unions and that people should have a fair wage.

When asked about the top of the ticket, Matt explains that Barack Obama "came flat out and said that he supports the Employee Free Choice Act. He has always been a huge supporter of the labor movement."

"In contrast, McCain is going to be a pain in labor's side. He's only started to try and destroy unions and he has a blatant disregard for working and middle class families."

Matt describes how the educational process of reaching out member to member through worksite leafleting, sending out local union mail, member to member phone banks and labor walks is important to bring working families up to speed on the real issues that will either help or harm unions like the Employee Free Choice Act, health care, and retirement security.

"These pocketbook issues often get covered up by the media and the Republicans try and replace them with the trifecta of guns, gays and abortion." 

The fact is that McCain will try to destroy unions, the labor movement and the middle class. I just hope that working families will see that Barack Obama and candidates like Mark Warner and Glenn Nye are going to be the right vote for all of us.