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News :: Elections & Legislation |
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AFL-CIO Endorses Ricky Baldwin for Urbana City Council |
Current rating: 0 |
by Ricky Baldwin
Email: baldwinricky (nospam) yahoo.com (verified)
Phone: 217-328-3037
Address: 801 E California Ave, Urbana, IL 61801 |
21 Jan 2005
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The Champaign County AFL-CIO has endorsed Ricky Baldwin for Urbana City Council, Ward 5.
“Unions are a vital component of building a high road economy with good jobs, good pay with benefits, and the quality of life that every deserves,” said Baldwin. |
(Urbana) The Central Labor Council on Wednesday endorsed Ricky Baldwin for Urbana City Council, Ward 5. Baldwin has been active in the labor union movement for almost 20 years.
“Unions are a vital component of building a high road economy with good jobs, good pay with benefits, and the quality of life that every deserves,” said Baldwin.
“Unions are also absolutely vital to a functioning democracy. If you don’t have a union, not only can you be fired at any time for any reason or no reason -- that’s the law --but without a union most of your rights stop at the door to the workplace, and that’s where most of us spend most of our waking hours.”
Ricky Baldwin was first active in the Mississippi Alliance of State Employees/ Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 3570, in which he maintains an associate membership.
“We were an energetic, rank and file union,” he said. “We didn’t even have collective bargaining rights. So when we needed something, all we could do was raise hell until we got it. And we did.”
Baldwin later worked for CWA Local 1188 (Graduate Student Employees Union) in Buffalo, NY, as a staff representative and lead organizer. During this time he also became involved in the wider labor movement through the city’s Jobs With Justice chapter, the Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ).
“We walked many picket lines, demonstrated against bad employers, set up a Workers’ Rights Board, won a living wage ordinance, helped out with a Teamsters organizing drive, and even took over one plant -- twice,” Baldwin recalled.
Baldwin eventually served on the Board of Directors of CEJ.
He also attended classes at Cornell Labor Studies, where he earned a Labor Studies Certificate; went to the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute; and was Labor Editor of the Buffalo Alternative Press for over seven years.
Later he also worked for a union-based coalition advocating occupational safety and health, where he coordinated the campaign for a national ergonomics standard in Western New York. The group conducted a study of ergonomic problems in area worksites, lobbied Congressmen and eventually traveled to Washington to testify at OSHA hearings on the standard. The campaign was temporarily successful when the Clinton Administration approved the OSHA standard for ergonomics, but when the Bush Administration took over the standard was withdrawn immediately.
Baldwin worked most recently as business representative for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 200 before the birth of his twin sons in 2001. Baldwin represented employees at three veterans’ hospitals, an INS detention center, a US Air Force base and other bargaining units.
Baldwin quit work in 2001 to spend time at home raising his boys and says he has never regretted a minute of that time. “You don’t get that time back when it’s gone,” he said.
He moved here that year with his wife Catharine Gray and sons Sammy and Izzy.
Since then he has been involved in a number of community organizations and efforts, as well as the local labor movement. He helped UI grad students organize their union, organized local support for Florida tomato pickers and helped organize local demonstrations in support of locked-out West Coast longshoremen. He was also active in the local Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice.
“I am very proud of this endorsement,” he said. “Very proud.” |
See also:
http://www.baldwinforcitycouncil.com
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This work is in the public domain |
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Re: AFL-CIO Endorses Ricky Baldwin for Urbana City Council |
by goodriddancegipper
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 Jan 2005
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Congratulations to Ricky for an important endorsement that is well-earned. Far from proffering "false exaggerations," as the Adam/BL troll falsely states, Ricky has done much here and in Buffalo on behalf of working people, the working class, and communities as a whole. He is a very intelligent and thoughtful candidate who will serve Ward 5 very well when elected. The AFL-CIO made a wise decision. |
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Re: AFL-CIO Endorses Ricky Baldwin for Urbana City Council |
by Guest
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Jan 2005
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I cannot vote for Ricky as I am in Ward 7 but I support his campaign. |
