Jill Long Thompson Garners More Labor Support

RWDSU, UTU Local 298, and AFSCME Local 446 Back Long Thompson

ARGOS, IN - Hoosiers for Jill Long Thompson announced on Tuesday, September 25 that the Indiana Joint Board of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and the United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 298 have endorsed Jill Long Thompson for Governor.  They join AFSCME Local 446 who endorsed Long Thompson last week. 

This labor support comes as independent polling shows Long Thompson with a significant lead in the Democratic primary and within single digits of Governor Mitch Daniels in the general election.

"Jill has proven she is a loyal friend of working families," said RWDSU President David Altman. "All you have to do is look at her record."  Altman said the endorsement, which came at the union's 19th quadrennial convention, was unanimous.  RWDSU is an international union affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

Rick Mitchener, President of UTU Local 298 in Garrett said, "Jill cares about working people and has the experience to lead Indiana in a new direction."  He added that UTU's endorsement by it's over 1,000 members was "overwhelming."

In addition, Local 446 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees unanimously endorsed Long Thompson for Governor last Wednesday.  The AFSCME local represents employees of the North Central Juvenile Correctional Facility, the Logansport Juvenile Intake/Diagnostic Facility and the Logansport State Hospital, which the Daniels Administration has targeted for privatization.

"Jill is the best Democrat to defeat Mitch Daniels," Local 446 President Michael Williams said. "She has a positive vision which will put Indiana back on the right track."

A recent WISH-TV poll showed that 41 percent of Democratic voters support Long Thompson, while 16 percent support State Senator Richard Young, Jr., and only 10 percent support Indianapolis architect Jim Schellinger.  In a general election match-up, Long Thompson receives 38 percent to Mitch Daniels 46%.  The poll also indicated that only 39 percent of voters believe Daniels deserves re-election.

Jill Long Thompson represented Northeast Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. She also served as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development from 1995 to 2001.  Long Thompson most recently served as CEO of The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy. She received her B.S. in Business from Valparaiso University, and her M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Business from Indiana University. Jill Long Thompson and her husband Don Thompson, a commercial airline pilot, live on their family farm in Marshall County.

Source: http://www.hoosiersforjill.com/.

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