Local 400 is proud to endorse Elissa Silverman for D.C. Council At-Large. Silverman has served on the council since 2014 and chairs the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.
In that capacity, she championed the passage of the District’s monumental paid family leave law that provides guaranteed paid time off to workers to during critical life events, such as starting a family or taking care of a loved one.
Elissa has only taken money from individuals, refusing any money from corporations or PACs. She is beholden to voters – not to special interests with deep pockets.
Dyana Forester, UFCW Local 400 Director of Political & Community Affairs, issued the following statement regarding the endorsement:
“A vote for Elissa is a vote for someone who gets things done. As a councilmember, Elissa was a consistent and reliable champion for our members. On every issue that matters most to our members, her record is spotless. While others said it couldn’t be done, Elissa successfully championed the District’s groundbreaking paid family leave bill. And she has committed to bring that same grit and determination to tackle one of the most critical issues facing our members today: abusive scheduling.
“If you walk into any retailer in the District and ask the employees what issues effect their work the most, nine times out of ten they will talk about scheduling – not getting enough hours to make ends meet, chronic understaffing, and erratic schedules that constantly change. Elissa has heard our members loud and clear and she is committed to passing Just Hours legislation to curb abusive scheduling practices in the retail industry.
“She is far and above the best councilmember to fight on behalf of our members. We look forward to her continued service.”
Election Day: Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Find your polling place: https://dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Find-Polling-Place
Early Voting: October 22 – November 5
Vote early! Early voting is open in the District of Columbia, October 22 – November 5.
Find your Early Voting Center: https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/
How Candidates Are Recommended
Local 400 recommends candidates for office only after an exhaustive process of getting to know them, analyzing their records, and reviewing their positions on issues impacting our members’ lives. These issues include jobs, the economy, workers’ rights, health care, retirement security, workers’ compensation and education. We recommend those candidates judged to have your best interests in mind.
In order to decide on a candidate to endorse, we:
- Review the voting records of incumbents on labor issues.
- Participate in the AFL-CIO interview process and schedule one-on-one interviews between Local 400 and many of the candidates.
- Discuss with other union members and leaders the interviews and the written questionnaires candidates submit.
- Make recommendations to the executive boards of the relevant area labor councils.
- Participate in state AFL-CIO meetings, where delegates from Local 400 and other unions vote to give labor’s recommendation to a limited number of candidates.
- After acceptance, these recommendations are communicated to Local 400 members.