MEMORANDUM To: AFL-CIO Executive Council Members AFL-CIO National and International Union Presidents Richard L.

Trumka July 9, 2012 Workers Stand for America August 11 and Democratic National Convention

From: Date: RE:

Id like to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on plans for both the Democratic National Convention and the Workers Stand for America rally on August 11th. We need your help to make the August 11th rally a success, so please see the three important requests below. This year, as weve done for past conventions, the AFL-CIO is supporting interested union members and retirees who plan to serve as delegates to the Democratic National Convention from their home states. The AFL-CIO is also encouraging union members and leaders to engage in policy discussions around the convention committees, including the Platform, Rules and Credential Committees. Our participation reflects the important substantive contributions of working families and our unions to our democracy, and well be working to make sure the voices of working people are heard at the convention and beyond. To that end, the AFL-CIO will be hosting a meeting at the convention in Charlotte for all labor delegates, and we will be back in touch with you as those plans are finalized. We expect the meeting to take place on Tuesday September 4th at 10:00 am, but that slot is still tentative. In recognition of the changes we have made in our political program, however, and our desire to engage in politics in a more effective and grassroots way, this year we will not be making major monetary contributions to the Convention or the Host Committee for events or activities around the convention. We wont be buying skyboxes, hosting events other than the Labor Delegates meeting or bringing a big staff contingent to the convention. I will be attending the convention mainly to lead the delegates meeting and to convey labors coordinated message where appropriate. Our resources this year will go instead to our core political work and to investing in a long-term labor movement structure to build power for working men and women. The priority in this cycle is to register and protect voterstogether with our alliesand to educate and mobilize working class voters to stand up for themselves and their families and elect leaders wholl stand with us. If you havent already done so, please let us know what level of participation in the Democratic convention your union is planning. (Please contact Ann Miller at amiller@aflcio.org or 202-508-6941.)

July 9, 2012 Page 2 As part of our focus on economic issues that matter to our members, the August 11 Workers Stand for America Rally in Philadelphia will give us an opportunity to connect the faces of ordinary Americans to the basic issues affecting working people in our country, while providing an important lift-off to our Labor 2012 political program for the fall. Our goal is to refocus the national discussion on the imbalance in our countrys national priorities. To that end, we will be launching Americas Second Bill of Rights in conjunction with the rally, and we will be asking candidates who seek our support to pledge their support for the document. Some initial information on the rally is now available at www.workersstandforamerica.com and additional information is attached. Together with IBEW, we will be formally launching the campaign at a press briefing on Thursday, July 12th. At that time, the website will be updated in full campaign mode. We ask that you keep the detailed information about the campaign for internal use until July 12th. I am asking for your help in three areas. First, commit to mobilizing your locals, especially those in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the New York City area, to send people to the August 11 rally in Philadelphia. Many affiliates have already committed to bringing 1000 attendees to Philadelphia and we hope others will match that commitment. Second, if you havent already done so, please designate a staff member to participate in ongoing conference calls on the campaign. Your staff should contact Brian Baker, the IBEWs Political/Legislative Director at brian_baker@ibew.org or (202) 728-6046. Third, link to the website and have your communications people help spread the word through all the media at your disposal.

Our members are eager for the opportunity to tell candidates, elected officials and America that we want action to promote growth and prosperity shared by all, not just those on the top rung of society. We especially need to send this message at the moment when both political parties prepare to hold their conventions in late August and early September. We are deeply committed to re-electing President Obama and Vice President Biden. Were committed to strengthening working family majorities in the Senate and securing a majority who will stand with working people in the House. Were also committed to defeating union-busting ALEC allies in state legislatures and governors mansions and electing friends of working people all over the country. We know whats at stake, and the urgency of this fight: November 6th is four months away. Now is the time to double down on voter registration among our members and in our communities as we gear up for the mother of all mobilizations in the battleground states from summer through Labor Day and onto November 6th. That work is our priority and will lead to victories for all of Americas working families. We know how to do this. We can do it together.