AFL-CIO Labor Council President Howard Richardson, Memphis and West Tennessee Building and Construction Trades Association President Paul Shaffer, and Rep. Steve Cohen (D, TN-09)

Congressman Steve Cohen held a press conference on February 17^th at the IBEW Union Hall to accept endorsements from the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council, Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council, the Memphis and West Tennessee Building and Construction Trades Association, and the support of many leaders of the labor movement.

Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council Political Director Howard Richardson called Cohen “a champion of working people. Not just labor— Working people who work for an hourly wage.”

“He’s a champion for human rights,” Richardson continued. “He’s a champion for women’s rights. He’s a champion for minimum wage. He’s a champion for all of the things that raise the standard of living for working people.”

“He’s never raised the issue of race except to promote harmony among the races. And I am proud to say on behalf of the Memphis Labor Council of AFL-CIO that we endorse him with the greatest enthusiasm. And we’re going to make sure he’s re-elected,” Richardson concluded to a round of applause.

“He’s always been a supporter of the Prevailing Wage issue at the state level, the local level, and now the federal level, which is very important to Building Trades,” Memphis and West Tennessee Building and Construction Trades Council  President Paul Shaffer added.

“For the exact same reasons,” Shaffer continued, “the state took the bold move of coming out in a primary election early on to endorse Steve because of his support for us in his entire political career.”

“I appreciate your support,” Cohen replied. “This campaign is going to be a positive campaign. We’re going to run on our record… If you run on your record, and you work hard, you’re going to get re-elected.  We feel confident that’s going to happen here too.”

“I’ve talked to so many people in the last week who are as supportive as you are that I feel very confident that it’s going to be a landmark victory and a victory that is going to spell a lot of good news for the city of Memphis on how we are going forward and race is not the issue. The issues are the issue and job performance and character and work ethic. And that’s what it should be about.”

“We’ve come a long way in the country. We’ve got a long way to go before we become the more perfect union that we want to have. But we’re getting there. We’ve come a distance, we’re going to go further. I’m proud to be a part of it. And I think Memphis shines as a spot where we, like the nation with Barack Obama, have gone forward and gone beyond race.”

“I’m proud to say that for the third year in a row, the NAACP has given me an “A”. The American Association of Government Employees gave me their highest rating, an “A”. The American Association of University Women gave me the highest rating in Tennessee, an 87. The Humane Society, for the third year in a row, is giving me an award and an honor. “

Representing their unions at the press conference were:

Derek Mann, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 474
Frank Rogers, Plumbers Local Union No. 17 United Association
Kenneth Ingram International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 474
Kermit Moore, Unite Here Local 847
Casel Jones, Memphis Labor Council
James Stevens, International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators Local 90
Larry Miller, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 17
Mike Thorn,  Sheet Metal Workers Local #4
Cassandra Nelson, Communications Workers of America
Robert Santucci , Executive Vice President of Communications Workers of America
Esther Pond, Communications Workers of America