Unions Say: It’s Time for Some Real Straight Talk About John McCain

    Change To Win Launches Nationwide Truth Campaign on John McCain



    Truth Squad to Hit 10 Battleground States in Seven Weeks



    Workers to Directly Question McCain on New Website



    Online Video Series to Showcase Controversial McCain Agenda through

Parody



    WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 /EMWNews/ -- A new campaign by the seven unions

and six million members of Change to Win is telling working families about

John McCain's anti-worker agenda.



    In a multifaceted, multimedia effort, Change to Win is launching a

McCain Truth Squad tour; starting a new website, http://www.worsethanbush.org,

that allows workers to directly question McCain and his agenda; and

premiering after Labor Day, a two-part online comedy video series

showcasing McCain's anti-worker policies through humor.



    The Squad of 9 workers starts its journey today in Nevada and will

travel through three states using direct action and creative events to

educate members on controversial McCain positions on America's mortgage

crisis, Yucca Mountain, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons and McCain's own

negligence in the Senate.



    "It's time for some truth about who John McCain really is and what a

McCain presidency would mean for America's workers," said Anna Burger,

chair of Change to Win. "Change to Win's Truth Squad is standing up to John

McCain's campaign of distortion, which disguises a Bush-inspired agenda

that will bankrupt our economy for four more years. At the same time, the

Squad is standing up for Barack Obama whose presidency will help build a

new American Dream for working families by delivering the change our

members desperately need on the issues that matter most -- the economy and

jobs, health care and workers' rights."



    The Change to Win Truth Squad is comprised of workers from Nevada,

Illinois and Florida, including waitresses, cashiers, dishwashers, homecare

workers and government employees. The Squad will highlight McCain's agenda

through dramatic demonstrations such as:



    -- Foreclosure funerals in Reno and Las Vegas: These memorials

symbolize the disastrous effect the mortgage crisis has had on Nevada and

the completely inadequate response of John McCain. The events will feature

speeches by workers who have lost their home, a coffin filled with mortgage

statements and workers dressed up as the "McCain Mortgage Reapers." The

Foreclosure Funerals will take place at Washoe County Republican Party

headquarters and John McCain's Nevada campaign headquarters.



    -- Jim Gibbons Rally in Carson City: John McCain has called Nevada

Governor Jim Gibbons a "Great Governor" despite an FBI investigation into

Gibbons' congressional past, allegations that he got his property taxes

lowered from $5,000 to $15, and using a state cell phone to text his

mistress 860 times. The Squad will highlight McCain's dedication to the

embattled governor with a mock rally at the Nevada State capital featuring

the "True McCain" explaining his support for Jim Gibbons based on their

united anti-worker agenda.



    -- Yucca Mountain Disaster Prep in Pahrump: To highlight John McCain's

strong support of storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, the Squad will

hold a disaster preparation rally. The event will feature the "Truth

McCain" demonstrating procedures and outfits workers will need to use on

the job in the event of a nuclear spill to prevent side effects such as

cancer and radiation poisoning.



    The Squad's mission is also spread online through

http://www.worsethanbush.org. A main feature of the site is called "Ask McCain" -

videos of workers across the country telling their stories of what life has

been like over the last seven years and asking John McCain questions about

his record and agenda. In addition, http://www.worsethanbush.org is a hub for

videos featuring candid and entertaining McCain moments, up-to-date news on

McCain flaps, and "Who Said It?," an interactive game featuring prominent,

and comic, McCain quotes.



    The website will also host an online comedy video series highlighting

through parody the consequences of McCain's agenda for working families.

The videos will be produced by Olde English, a New York-based comedy group

formerly of Turner's SuperDeluxe.com and featured monthly at the Upright

Citizens Brigade Theater.



    The following is the schedule for the Truth Squad's three tours:






    Tour 1                     Tour 2                       Tour 3



    8.18 - Reno, NV         9.5 - St. Paul, MN      9.26 - Grand Rapids, MI

    8.19 - Carson City, NV  9.6 - La Crosse, WI     9.27 - Lansing, MI

    8.20 - Las Vegas, NV    9.7 - Cedar Rapids, IA  9.28 - Detroit, MI

    8.21 - Pahrump, NV      9.9 - Kansas City, MO   9.29 - Toledo, OH

    8.22 - Phoenix, AZ      9.11 - St. Louis, MO    9.30 - Cleveland, OH

    8.24 - Denver, CO                               10.1 - Pittsburgh, PA

                                                    10.3 - Scranton, PA



    On February 21, 2008, Change to Win endorsed Senator Barack Obama for

president of the United States of America. The Change to Win political

program is conducting a comprehensive mail, phone and canvass effort in 13

battleground states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Iowa, Missouri,

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina

and Virginia. Change to Win plans to send 10 million pieces of direct mail,

make 20 million phone calls, and run a full-time, coordinated

member-to-member canvass with 1,500 member organizers. Change to Win unions

also plan to recruit over 50,000 volunteers for Election Day.

    About Change to Win



    Change to Win is a partnership of seven unions and six million members

founded in 2005 to organize workers of the new American economy. Change to

Win is committed to restoring the American Dream so that all workers have a

paycheck that can support a family, affordable health care, a secure and

dignified retirement, and the opportunity for the next generation to be

better off. The seven affiliated unions are: Service Employees

International Union, UNITE HERE, United Food and Commercial Workers

International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers'

International Union of North America, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and

Joiners of America and United Farm Workers of America.



    Paid for by the Change to Win Committee for the American Dream Not

authorized by any Candidate or Candidate Committee