Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean appeared on Hardball Wednesday to discuss the priorities for President-elect Barack Obama’s administration. The first example host Chris Matthews brought up was the Employee Free Choice Act.

What Matthews refers to as “card check” is a key piece of legislation that will make it easier for workers to form unions. Gov. Dean argued that, after eight years of abuses, it’s time to level the playing field for working families.

“It is our job to make sure that working-class and middle class people get their fair share and a fair shake, which they haven’t done in the last eight years.

“That’s what the campaign was all-all about. That was probably the single biggest issue that-that elected Barack Obama and Joe Biden, is, let’s do something for middle-class Americans and working-class Americans, who haven’t had much done for them in the last eight years.”

Join the fight for the Employee Free Choice Act by signing our online petition.

(hat tip to thsisnotanexit at Daily Kos)

Here’s a look at AFSCME’s unprecedented 2008 campaign efforts, by the numbers:

Member Program

• 455 AFSCME staff deployed in 17 battleground states
• Over 11,700 volunteers working in 17 battleground states
• Over 40,000 volunteers working across the country
• Over 720 AFSCME volunteers from other states on buses to battleground states
• 4.3 million calls made to members from AFSCME International phone banks regarding Presidential race
• 1.03 million calls made to members from AFSCME International phone banks regarding U.S. Senate and Congressional races
• Over 454,000 calls made to members from AFSCME International phone banks regarding down ballot races
• Over 950,000 volunteer calls to members in 17 battleground states
• Over 246,300 home visits made to AFSCME member households
• 2600 worksites visited by volunteers and members
• 1.25 million pieces of mail sent to member households
• 1.2 million emails sent to members
• 65,000 postcards sent from volunteers to AFSCME members

Non-Partisan

• 36 staff working on non-partisan efforts in Florida, New Mexico and Wisconsin
• Over $800,000 spent on non-partisan activities in Florida, Ohio, Nevada, Wisconsin and New Mexico
• Over 100,000 non-partisan flyers distributed at homes
• Over 90,000 door hangers distributed at homes over election weekend

Independent Expenditures

$19,384,800 spent on AFSCME’s independent expenditure activities during the general election, of which:

• $7,625,000 was spent on express advocacy
• $11,306,800 was spent on issue advocacy
• $6,630,500 was spent on independent activity in U.S. Senate races
• $7,668,300 was spent on independent activity in U.S. House races
• $2,184,595 was contributed to candidates and leadership PAC’s
• $6,905,000 total spent on U.S. Senate races
• $9,578,395 total spent on U.S. House races

AFSCME President Gerald McEntee’s statement on President-elect Barack Obama’s historic win:

Throughout this extraordinary campaign, Barack Obama challenged us to believe that we have the power to change America, and to change the world. On Election Day, America responded to his challenge with a resounding “Yes We Can.” As a result, we can now begin the urgent work of rebuilding the middle class at home; restoring America’s reputation in the world; and transforming our government into a vibrant force that solves problems, stands with American families and empowers people and communities to improve their lives.

Americans voted for a new direction because this country is in crisis: Two wars that are costing lives and draining the treasury of badly needed resources; an American middle class at risk in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; a broken health care system that wreaks havoc on families, overwhelms government budgets and makes businesses uncompetitive; retirement security gone by the wayside; and a state and local fiscal crisis that is crippling the ability of government to meet the ever-increasing demand for vital services.

This election was about hope and unity. In response to an Administration that has told Americans “You’re on your own” for the last eight years, voters have said “No we’re not. We’re in this together.” Americans have voted for a president and a Congress that will rebuild government in the public interest and make it a force for creating opportunity and prosperity, supporting and protecting our families, and strengthening our communities.

With Barack Obama, we will have a president who values the workers who make America happen at home and defend it abroad. Along with a Congress that supports us and with historic gains at the state and local level, we have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives of America’s working families.

With Barack Obama and Joe Biden, we will have a team of proven fighters committed to providing state and local fiscal relief, fully funding and supporting public services and the workers who provide them, and guaranteeing that everyone in our country has quality, affordable health care they can count on.

Over the past year, as I met with working families across the country, one could see that people were yearning for change. I can’t begin to describe all the disappointments they’ve had over the last eight years of a rigged economy that has favored the privileged and left the rest of us behind.

What they experienced, however, didn’t destroy them. It motivated them to work like never before for change. More people than ever got involved through the AFL-CIO’s political program, the smartest, biggest and broadest effort we’ve ever run. We put 250,000 union volunteers into action, combining cutting-edge voter communications with massive grassroots strength. Our people created the largest, most efficient independent voter mobilization initiative in American history.

We knocked on 10 million doors, made 70 million phone calls, and distributed more than 27 million workplace flyers focusing on economic issues. AFSCME alone spent $67 million on political activities, including our aggressive independent expenditure campaign which played a key role in the most competitive House and Senate races. Forty-thousand AFSCME members volunteered along with more than 500 staff because we all knew we could not afford four more years like the last eight.

Among union households in battleground states, there was clear momentum for Obama on the eve of the election. What moved people? The issues, and talking to workers one-on-one. For example, in Pennsylvania, polls showed Barack Obama gained 22 percent since August for a 63% – 27% advantage going into Election Day.

Tuesday’s election was a mandate for building an America that lives up to its ideals, an event that has broken down old barriers and opened up new doors. As we celebrate this victory, we also face monumental challenges as a country. Working families are ready to join with President-elect Obama to meet these challenges and enact a bold agenda for change.

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee has spent the past week on the campaign trail in Ohio and Pennsylvania, meeting people who’ve suffered through lost jobs, devastated retirements, plant closings and communities in disarray. But as McEntee writes in his latest entry on the Huffington Post, instead of letting these disappointments destroy them, they’re working like never before to turn things around.

More than anything, they want our nation to move forward with an agenda that values workers and their families. And they believe that our time is now.

Read the full post.

Margaret Stanton

From the Virginia AFL-CIO Labor 2008 blog comes this story about Margaret Stanton, a retired social worker and AFSCME member who lives in Front Royal, Virginia. As part of the Labor 2008 outreach program, she received a mail piece about the election and was inspired to write a letter about her support for Barack Obama.

Margaret says she has read both of Obama’s books and found them inspirational, but she has a remarkable story of her own. When she was in her 20s, she came to America from Holland where she had been working with a Dutch resistance group who hid Jews from the Nazis. Her group saved the lives of as many as 15,000 people.

After receiving a degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago, Margaret worked as a social worker in Montgomery County, Maryland, as a member of AFSCME. She was also involved in the civil rights movement for many years.

Margaret took advantage of early voting and has already cast her vote for Barack Obama. There was never any question which candidate she’d be supporting in this election:

“I admire him. I think he’s honest. He works for the people. He’s blessed and I believe in him.”

Watch a video about Margaret’s letter here, and read more at the Virginia AFL-CIO Labor 2008 blog.

Paid for by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees PEOPLE (1625 L St, NW, Washington, DC 20036) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.