For Immediate Release:

Contact: William George, President (717) 231-2841

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Criticizes Curt Weldon for False Comments About Labor Support During MSNBC Interview

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President William George criticized Republican Congressman Curt Weldon for his attempt to mislead viewers during a nationally televised interview over labor support for his campaign.

The facts are that the union members in the 7 th Congressional are mobilizing union household support for Democrat Joe Sestak, who is committed to fighting for workers on the issues that matter most: protecting good jobs from unfair trade deals, improving access to health care, defending the prevailing wage and refusing any pay increase until the minimum wage is increased for low wage earners.

The facts are that the Unions and the Union members in the 7 th Congressional District are seeking to take back the Congress by defeating Congressman Curt Weldon who has turned his back on the workers he is supposed to represent by rubber-stamping Bush’s corporate agenda: voting for unfair trade deals and rewarding companies that move good jobs out of the country that diminish our living standards and shrink the middle class of our nation

* Curt Weldon sided with the Bush Administration and voted for the unfair Central American Free Trade Agreement, which sends American jobs overseas and weakens protections for workers here in America

* Curt Weldon voted for a bill pushed by the Bush Administration that provided $40 billion in tax breaks for companies that export jobs and $140 billion in new corporate tax cuts.

* Cut Weldon voted to slash billions from Health and Education

It is a disappointing and a disgraceful act on the part of Curt Weldon to try and mislead voters about his record and performance. Curt Weldon owes the working people and the labor movement an apology and should stop trying to mislead the voters about support that does not in fact exist.