CHICAGO, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's fastest growing construction workers' union will ramp up member education and mobilization around important issues and the Presidential campaign following outreach by the candidates to thousands of leaders and rank-and-file members in Chicago this week.

    On Monday and Tuesday, candidates appeared before about 1,000 leaders at Leadership Conference of LIUNA -- the Laborers' International Union of North America -- and their remarks were webcast live to members across the country.

    LIUNA General President Terence M. O'Sullivan outlined the union's process for endorsing a candidate:

    -- The union will conduct further random-sample surveys of members on the issues and on candidate preference. The first of such surveys was completed earlier this month.

    -- The union will continue reaching out to members with all available tools, including auto-dialing, email, text-messaging and the web. The Monday and Tuesday webcasts remain archived at http://www.LiunaLive.org for members to view and submit feedback. Thousands of members -- hailing from more than 700 communities -- have viewed the webcasts so far. Candidates who participated included Senators Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Governor Bill Richardson.

    -- Informational and activist tools will continue to be distributed across the union's more than 400 Local Unions to better engage members around issues.

    O'Sullivan said the union would endorse a candidate when member support reaches a threshold of about 60 percent.

    "Our members view this as a presidential race about their everyday concerns -- not an endorsement race," O'Sullivan said. "Our goal is to engage our members -- an army one-half million strong -- so that they engage the candidates to speak to 'build America' issues."

    LIUNA members are on the forefront of the construction industry -- a sector that is a powerhouse of 10 million workers who produce 5 percent of the nation's economic output.
 
 

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The half-million collective bargaining members of the most aggressive, progressive and fastest- growing construction workers union in North America, LIUNA, will be able to see and hear the major Democratic candidates for President and provide feedback through a first of its kind webcast at http://www.LiunaLive.org on Monday, Sept. 17, and Tuesday, Sept. 18.

    Scheduled for the webcast are Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. The candidates will be broadcast live over the web from the union's Leadership Conference in Chicago, where about 1,000 leaders will gather to hear the candidates in person.

    Rank-and-file LIUNA members are looking for a "Build America" candidate -- one who will put their everyday issues first, such as the creation of good, family-supporting jobs; a commitment to rebuilding our country's infrastructure; the right to join together in a union; and trade that is fair to all nations and workers.

    The electronic mobilization is a first among unions and is intended to better engage LIUNA members across the country in the political process so they can engage the candidates as part of the union's endorsement process.

    WHAT:      Democratic Presidential candidates speak to LIUNA leaders in Chicago and throughout the country through national webcast.

    WHEN:      Approximately 8:20 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Central Time, Monday, September 17.
                      Approximately 8:30 a.m. Central Time, Tuesday, September 18.

                      Check http://www.LiunaLive.org for the latest scheduling.

    WHERE:    IN PERSON: Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers
                      301 East North Water Street
                      Chicago, IL 60611
                      ON THE WEB: http://www.LiunaLive.org.

For more information please call Richard Greer at 202-215-1562, or Lisa Grob at 202-329-1925.