|
In his speech, Strickland shared the stories of workers whose
jobs were saved from the auto rescue, including Northwest Ohio
residents Ina Sidney of Perrysburg and James Fayson
of Toledo.
The automotive industry has become a key focus of this year’s
election, especially in Ohio – a swing state where one in eight
jobs is based in the auto industry.
Here in Northwest Ohio, members of United Auto Workers Local 211
are making their own appeal to voters in the newly competitive
Fifth U.S. Congressional District: Representative Bob Latta
failed to support the auto industry, and they want him out of
Congress.
In an online ad released by the Angela Zimmann campaign
Friday, employees at the Defiance General Motors Powertrain
plant criticized Rep. Latta for voting against the 2009 auto
rescue loans, which saved GM and Chrysler from bankruptcy.
“The auto industry means a lot to my family, my kids. When Bob
Latta voted against it, he was voting against my family,” said
Chad Cattell, an employee at Defiance GM Powertrain.
The Defiance GM Powertrain plant, which first opened in 1948, is
one of the largest employers in Defiance County, employing over
1,200 employees.
According to Greg Nartker, who also works at Defiance GM
Powertrain, Latta’s vote against the auto loans “was a slap in
the face to all union members across the state.”
Zimmann, an engineer and a union member, is an active union
supporter and has received numerous endorsements from local and
national labor organizations, including UAW Local 211.
On Monday, Zimmann lead the annual Toledo Labor Day parade
alongside Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative
Marcy Kaptur. The parade, which brought an estimated 10,000
participants, featured more than 40 local unions.
This year’s parade is the first since the overwhelming rejection
of Republican Governor John Kasich’s union-busting Senate Bill 5
last November. The measure was voted down by 62 percent of
voters in Ohio’s Fifth District, a slightly higher percentage
than all Ohio voters.
Union members, supporters, and their families showed at Monday’s
parade that they are still energized and politically engaged by
sporting campaign stickers, buttons, banners, and signs for
several Democratic candidates, including Angela Zimmann.
To view the video of UAW
Local 211 members endorsing Angela Zimmann, please visit
http://zimmannforcongress.com/2012/09/uaw-local-211-supports-angela-zimmann/
|
