Battleground Bulletin - Michigan

*FIGHTING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT -- **MICHIGAN*

Less than a week and counting! It's time for another issue of "Battleground Bulletin! "

As District 4 members made their final push on behalf of Labor-endorsed candidates, CWA wants to remind you that you will make the difference in the Battleground States of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. You can depend on each new "Battleground Bulletin!" to keep you up to date from now to Election Day.

AFL-CIO Executive Director Karen Ackerman put it best last week on ABC's "Top Line" when she said Labor's get-out-the vote operations will save the day for endangered Democrats and overcome the so-called "enthusiasm gap" that belongs to anti-worker Republican candidates.

"Many of these races are going to be very close," Ackerman predicted. "The difference will be and can be the labor vote."

We know that about half of the 75 House seats that are in play are in high union density districts. We also know that in many states, Democratic candidates are running well in early voting results.

District 4 members played a key role in the election of President Barack Obama and a worker-friendly Congress in 2008. It's up to us again.

We can win. We will win.

*WHERE THE ACTION IS*

The Labor-endorsed candidate for governor*, Virg Bernero, *says that if he is elected, he'll ask lawmakers to change Michigan law to require banks go to court before foreclosing.

Michigan is one of 26 states where banks don't have to go through court to initiate foreclosures. Bernero says working families deserve more protection when they lose their jobs or suffer other financial setbacks.

Bernero, the mayor of Lansing, is doing battle with an out-of-touch millionaire who has been criticized for avoiding paying taxes for businesses based in California and Michigan. Naturally, Bernero's opponent opposes the foreclosure freeze and sides with the big banks. It's one of the many reasons District 4 members are working hard to get *Virg** Bernero* elected governor. We're also working hard in three battleground congressional district races:

In District 1,* Gary McDowell *is a Teamster who drove a United Parcel Service truck for 33 years. He served on his county board of commissioners for 22 years and is completing six years in the state legislature.

In District 7, incumbent* Mark Schauer *dedicated his life to serving those around him and fighting for Michigan workers and businesses. The son of a public school teacher and a nurse, Schauer knows the value of hard work.

In District 9, incumbent *Gary Peters* not only supports financial reform, he wrote legislation requiring Wall Street to pay back every penny of the taxpayer funded bailout.Under Peters' plan, Wall Street firms would be forced to give back these excessive corporate bonuses paid for at taxpayer expense.

A new poll by the Detroit Free Press and WXYZ-Channel 7 show Peters and Schauer with small but significant leads in their fight to keep their seats. District 4 members can and will make the difference in these races.

*TOUGH TIMES FOR WORKING FAMILIES*

As the result of the disastrous Bush-era economic policies, more than 1 in 8 Americans are now on food stamps.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that 32 states have adopted rules making it easier to qualify for food stamps since 2007. In all, 38 states have loosened eligibility standards.

Eligibility for food stamps varies from state to state, with the 11 most generous states allowing families to apply if their gross income is less than double the federal poverty line of $22,050 for a family of four.

"We've seen a huge increase in participation due to the economic downturn," said Jean Daniel, a spokeswoman for the USDA. "That's the way this program was designed."

Incredibly, food stamps have been blasted by some Republicans in this midterm election season as just another federal entitlement program.

These guys never stop. Outsource our jobs, and then take away our safety net. No wonder American families are angry!

*BIG MONEY GONE WILD*

The New York Times reports that Prudential Financial sent in a $2 million donation last year as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce kicked off a national advertising campaign to weaken efforts to police Wall Street bandits.

Dow Chemical delivered $1.7 million to the chamber last year as the group took a leading role in aggressively fighting proposed rules that would impose tighter security requirements on chemical facilities.

Health insurance providers funneled at least $10 million to the chamber last year, all of it anonymously, to oppose President Obama's health care legislation.

And Goldman Sachs, Chevron Texaco, and Aegon -- a multinational insurance company based in the Netherlands -- donated more than $8 million in recent years to a chamber foundation that has been critical of President Obama's policies.

None of these large donations were publicly disclosed by the chamber, a pro-corporation tax-exempt group that keeps its donors secret. But they show how Big Money interests have become an influential player in this fall's Congressional elections.

These deep-pocketed donors don't care about working Americans. In fact, most of the policies they're peddling work against our best interests.

Remember, voting is the great equalizer. With hard work, we can send a message to the moneyed interests that are trying to buy our government.