Voice of the People

Please be advised that the Northwest Indiana Building Trades were listed as a Title Sponsor at the cost of $50,000 for the Northwest Indiana Governor’s Gala payable to the Mitch for Governor Campaign. I am sure that many of you read the article and advertisement in the newspaper.

To set the record straight and make it perfectly clear to Laborers’ Local 81 and 41 members and the general public: Laborers’ Local 81 and 41 are affiliated with the Northwest Indiana Building Trades and we pay membership fees for our local unions to be part of the Northwest Indiana Building Trades.

However, Laborers’ Local 81 and 41 would not and could not in any way shape or form support Mitch for Governor nor would we give one penny of our members’ money to his cause or campaign. Furthermore Laborers’ Local 81 and 41 and all the Laborers throughout the State of Indiana, 12,000 strong, have endorsed a Labor friendly candidate Jim Schellinger for Governor of Indiana.

We also would like to make it clear to the Northwest Indiana Building Trades that Laborers’ Local 81 and 41 are not united nor do we want any part of their effort to support Mitch for Governor. We would also ask the Northwest Indiana Building Trades President and Officers who state they do not know how the Northwest Indiana Building Trades became listed as a Title Sponsor of the Northwest Indiana Governor’s Gala to know you may be able to bamboozle some, but it is not our turn today.

We would hope that the Northwest Indiana Building Trades would try to correct the misrepresentations and false statements printed in the newspaper and instead list the individual local unions who supported or sponsored such an anti-living wage and anti-working family event.

Sincerely,

Mike Campbell and Rudy Sparks

Presidents of Laborers’ Local 81 and 41

Posted 2/29/2008