Connecticut Race Draws IBEW Stalwarts

Charlie Witt has a 35-year history in the IBEW and a strong desire to help working families in Connecticut. This election season, the Groton Local 261 member and registrar has been getting volunteers to pound the pavement and phone bank for Senate candidate and popular state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal – a veteran lawmaker with solid AFL-CIO backing.

Groton Local 261 member and
registrar Charlie Witt is helping
get out the vote for pro-worker
candidates like Rep. Joe Courtney.

Witt said he’s impressed with Blumenthal’s demonstrated commitment to fighting outsourcing. When aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney tried to close part of its Connecticut operations and send jobs to Mexico early this year, Blumenthal filed an injunction with the U.S. District Court. The judge decided that the company’s attempted move would violate its contract with the machinists’ union.

Said Witt:

Richard has done a lot to help workers in our state. There are about 1,000 union members at Pratt & Whitney who can thank him for helping them keep their jobs. You can bet he’s going to get their backing, along with votes from many more workers.

Blumenthal’s challenger, Linda McMahon, is the ex-chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment – a former Fortune 500 company that has come under fire for seriously mistreating employees. McMahon’s campaign has spent tens of millions of dollars on negative advertising, and she has announced that she is prepared to spend even more.

Groton Local 261 Business Manager Richard “Chick” McCombs on Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal: “This guy’s 100 percent union.”

Groton Local 261 Business Manager Richard “Chick” McCombs heads up the IBEW’s political mobilization in Connecticut and said voters can see a clear distinction between a proven public servant and “someone trying to buy her way into a Senate seat”:

McMahon can be summed up in two words: big business. But Blumenthal – this guy’s 100 percent union. He’s at every rally. He stands beside us when the cameras are on us and he attends every Workers Memorial Day event. Whatever we’re doing, he’s right there with us.

For the governor’s race, activists are working to ramp up support for former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, who is running against businessman Tom Foley.

McCombs is mobilizing members to vote for Malloy:

Dan is a strong supporter of working families and believes in protecting collective bargaining rights. Foley’s just your typical corporate candidate. He hasn’t shown that he understands the needs of Connecticut’s working families, and he supports shipping jobs overseas. To any union voter, I would clearly say to them that Tom Foley does not have your interests at heart.

In the state’s second district, the IBEW is strongly backing Rep. Joe Courtney, whose efforts at reaching out to Navy officials have helped stymie layoffs at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in southeastern Groton. Said Witt:

I can’t say enough good things about the guy. Joe has easily saved hundreds of metal trades jobs within the last year.

Still, frustration with the slow pace of economic recovery is a reality this election season, and McCombs recognizes the challenge ahead.

We need members to stay focused on what’s in their best economic interests. These candidates we’re supporting are solid people who are willing to fight for working families. Voting in lawmakers like Blumenthal, Malloy and Courtney just makes good sense for your wallet.