Charles Wowkanech

A day after John McCain Republicans pulled the curtain off their campaign headquarters in working class Woodbridge, the national AFL-CIO endorsed Barack Obama for president and the state organization’s chief reaffirmed support for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

"At our convention we unanimously adopted a recommendation to endorse Obama," said newly re-elected AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech. "Our program is up and running. We’re doing voter registration projects and getting information out to job sites.".

McCain’s New Jersey supporters are targeting what they describe as "Reagan Democrats," or working and middle class voters, including primary election supporters of Hillary Clinton.

The AFL-CIO today issued a release pledging to remain neutral in the Democratic Primary contest between U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews.

The office of AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech said the labor organization's executive board delivered a vote of overwhelming support for Lautenberg when Lautenberg was matched against prospective candidate Tom Byrne.

That was before Andrews entered the race last night.

AFL-CIO president Charles Wowkanech backs Lautenberg over Andrews.

As south and north Jersey locals today sparred with statements of support for either U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg or potential challenger U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, AFL-CIO President Charlie Wowkanech said he backs Lautenberg.

"I polled my executive board of 40 members and the level of support was overwhelmingly for Lautenberg," said the head of New Jersey's one million-strong labor organization.

When the state Senate pasAFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanechsed paid family leave today by a vote of 22-16, AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech admitted he felt a particular sense of satisfaction after a hard, 12-year trudge.

"We're exhausted, but we're very happy," said Wowkanech, whose outfit numbers 1 million strong in New Jersey, and who remembers first trying to float the idea of paid family leave over a decade ago.

What the Senate passed today was a bill that enables employees to pay into a fund that would allow them to receive compensation while taking up to six weeks off from work to care for their own health or the health of a relative. According to the bill, "an amount not to exceed $25 million may be transferred from the state's temporary disability fund to the new account to support start-up costs." The program is designed to run on the monies employees pay into the funds, which amounts to about $33 apiece annually.

Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, one of the sponsors of the Assembly version of paid family leave, which came out of committee today. 

The lobbyists' feeding frenzy continued in Trenton today as representatives from both the business and labor communities zeroed in on lawmakers in the hallways of power and attempted to elicit the promise of a yes or no vote on the issue of paid family leave.

The measure would extend state liability insurance to employees for up to six weeks, enabling workers to care for themselves, a newborn or a sick relative. Funding would come from the workers contributing on average a dollar a week from their salaries.

Michael K. Maloney, president of the Mercer County Labor Union council, gave the troops their marching orders in the Colonial Firehouse in Hamilton on Election Day.

"Do not come back till after six o'clock," he told the 300 union workers representing 22 locals who packed the tables in the hall and prepared to hit the streets to canvass for labor candidates here.
 
A few minutes later Maloney introduced Charlie Wowkanech, president of the state AFL-CIO, who jumped up onto the makeshift stage next to Maloney and stood above the workers.

State Sen. Joseph Coniglio, the target of a federal corruption probe, dropped his bid for re-election on Wednesday

Conventional wisdom says the 38th should stay in the Democratic Party column as long as the party props up a warm, scandal-free body in the 2-1 Democratic district, but the replacement for Sen. Joseph Coniglio will likely have ironclad labor ties, which are important up here in Coniglio country.

It’s hard to imagine anyone more ironclad than the plumber turned senator, who announced Wednesday that he would not pursue re-election this November. Having him in Trenton was big for the AFL-CIO, one million members strong in New Jersey, which found a champ from among their own, according to organization President Charles Wowkanech.

A critical vote is set for tomorrow as the New Jersey AFL-CIO must decide on an endorsement in the hotly contested 1st district State Senate race.

State Sen. Nicholas Asselta has run with labor support in the past, and his close friend, AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech, wants his union to endorse the Cumberland County Republican again.  But a group of South Jersey labor leaders, led by State Sen. Stephen Sweeney, are pushing hard for Democrat Jeff Van Drew to receive the AFL-CIO endorsement.