Service & Solidarity Spotlight: President Shuler Shares Stage With the Dropkick Murphys and Barack Obama, Kicks Off Amy Acton Canvass

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

On Friday, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler welcomed the Dropkick Murphys as they played at a rally in support of Brian Poindexter, an Ironworkers Local 17 member and a candidate to represent Ohio’s 7th Congressional District. The next day, she kicked off a canvass with Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton before joining Acton, U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and former President Barack Obama for a powerful rally.

“Far too often, decisions are made that affect working people without working people in the room,” said North Shore AFL-CIO Executive Director Brian Pearson at the Poindexter event. “We’re changing that in Cleveland. We’re building a labor movement that elects our own and brings working people to the table. And that starts when union members step up to run for office.”

“In the labor movement, there is a question we have been asking for nearly a hundred years, and that is, ‘Which side are you on?’” Shuler said to the crowd gathered at the Cleveland Public Auditorium ahead of Obama’s remarks. “Ohio is and always has been a state for working families. We know Sherrod Brown will fight for Ohio workers in the Senate. Amy Acton will protect our unions and stand up for workers’ rights. Together, Amy and Sherrod will fight like hell for us. But first, we need to fight like hell for them!”