HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder extend their congratulations to President Barack Obama, Senator Bob Casey and to our endorsed statewide row office candidates Kathleen Kane, Eugene DePasquale, and State Treasurer Rob McCord on their extraordinary election victories tonight; and, extend their congratulations to the Pennsylvania union members who will be remembered as the true winners in Election 2012.

"While not considered a "Battleground State" by some so-called "political pundits", Pennsylvania's union members realized a war was waged against working families in 2010. We did not start the war but November 6, 2012 will be the beginning of the end of the anti-worker, wage destroying, vote suppressing, education elimination, and health care access, Social Security, and Medicare crushing agenda," Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bloomingdale declared.

"Working families clearly understand who is on their side on the core economic issues: strengthening Medicare and Social Security for seniors, ending tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and creating good jobs for hardworking middle class families. We urge our political leaders to keep moving the country forward in creating good jobs, solving the problems the country faces, and continue fighting to expand the middle class of our nation. We had their backs in this election and we will work with them in the upcoming fights to move our nation forward to more family sustaining jobs, shared prosperity, and opportunity for all Americans," Bloomingdale said.

"This sends a clear message to the extreme, ultra-conservative faction to end their partisan attacks, obstruction, and to begin working with President Obama and Senator Casey on moving our state and nation forward - supporting an economic agenda that will put millions of Americans back to work, rebuilding our outdated and neglected infrastructure, rehiring teachers into our kids' classrooms and putting additional police and firefighters back on the job, protecting our families and communities. This is how we will get back to full employment and recovery," Secretary-Treasurer Snyder added. "Not by waging war on workers."

"We are ready to go to work tomorrow with both Democratic and Republican elected officials who support positive public policies that unite us in creating good jobs, decent wages and benefits, and retirement security for all workers. The moment has arrived for our elected officials to listen to the voices of working men and women on how we build a strong economy together that works for all, not just the wealthy and corporate interests," Bloomingdale added.

Mr. Bloomingdale and Mr. Snyder thanked the thousands of union volunteers who spent nights and weekends tirelessly helping re-elect President Obama, Senator Bob Casey and all three of our endorsed candidates for statewide offices: Kathleen Kane, Attorney General; Eugene DePasquale Auditor General and the re-election of State Treasurer Rob McCord.  These down ballot victories are every bit as critical  in advancing a real job creation, pro-family agenda that will grow the middle class and put Pennsylvanians back to work as the Keystone of our country.   

In Pennsylvania alone, more than 7,500 union volunteers made more than 1 million phone calls, knocked on almost 700,000 doors, and passed out 1.5 million fliers at worksites in every region of the Commonwealth beginning in June. "By talking one-on-one with working class voters, we've been able to cut through the noise of endless TV ads bought by unregulated big money interests and discuss real issues and candidates with working families.

It was also the massive ground effort of turning out supporters of our endorsed candidates that proved crucial in the days leading up to and including Election Day.

SOURCE Pennsylvania AFL-CIO