Post from Labor 2008 Blog:
Building Solidarity in Northwest Rural Ohio
On May 28, 175 Ohioans representing the 20 coalition partners that make up the Rural Organizing Campaign met to discuss the social, economic, and political challenges facing rural Ohio and how we can work together to use the 2008 elections to address some of those problems. According to a flyer about the Rural Organizing Campaign:

"Nearly 2.6 million people live in rural Ohio and are affected by a variety of unique issues, such as energy costs, agricultural concerns, access to health care, and challenges in infrastructure development ... the drop-out rate for high school seniors is higher; residents are less likely to receive higher education; the poverty levels are higher; and they rely more on Social Security income."

Speakers emphasized the necessity of collaboration, sharing resources, keeping solidarity, and focusing on the issues as we move through this year to elect the right people and then hold them accountable to their constituents. Lloyd Mahaffey, UAW Director for Region 2B, said,

"I applaud this effort to coordinate our energies in the right direction ... We're probably going to agree on what the issues are because we all have those things in common, but we may not always agree on the solutions. But if we don't, so what? We'll come back tomorrow or the next day and work on something else that's going to benefit working people in the state of Ohio."

You can watch highlights of Mr. Mahaffey's and others' remarks below:






Cross-posted from http://labor2008.typepad.com/oh>

Reader Comments

Comments are closed for this post.

  
Great Turnout
By User from Marion, OH Jun 2nd 2008 at 8:41 am EDT
Sounds like a great turnout. What is the next step. As a former organizer in this area, I can testify as to the difficulty in getting folks to take action and in getting the message out. We built a few small groups in Defiance and in Wapakoneta, but many folks cling to the party model which just doesnt work in these communities.
  



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