August 15, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IN SURPRISE MOVE, NEW YORK STATE AFL-CIO ENDORSES MEJIAS FOR CONGRESS OVER PETER KING
Incumbent's poor labor record costs him endorsement for the first time ever
FARMINGDALE - Dave Mejias, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 3rd Congressional District, won an unexpected victory over his opponent, Peter King, when the State AFL-CIO voted today to endorse Mejias for Congress. This is the first time the AFL-CIO has ever endorsed King's opposition.
"I am very grateful to receive the support of the AFL-CIO," said Mejias. "This important endorsement is a testament to my strong support of working men and women, and a stinging repudiation of Peter King's anti-labor voting record. King has shown time and again that he is out of touch with the people of the Long Island. Nowhere is this more evident than his appalling record on labor. King votes for big tax cuts for millionaires and big oil, and stands up for the lobbyists on K Street, but fails to help the people on Main Street who are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. During this campaign I will expose the record Peter King doesn't want people to know about, and the more people learn about him, the more they realize it's time for him to go. The support of organized labor will be a tremendous asset in my campaign to restore the American Dream for working families."
Peter King's lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO stand at 35% - meaning that he votes against working families 65% of the time. In 2005, his rating plunged to a mere 20%, voting against the interests of working people 80% of the time. King's anti-labor stances include voting repeatedly against raising the minimum wage and supporting the Bush plan to privatize Social Security. He even supported the Labor Department giving a sweetheart deal to Wal-Mart, where Wal-Mart would receive an unprecedented 15 days notice before the Department would conduct any on-site investigations.
