Call For a New Vote on Rockford's Status as a Right-to-Work-For-Less Zone: A great disgrace for Rockford was when the City Council (including the 2nd Ward Republican incumbent) voted to designate Rockford as a "Right-To-Work-For-Less" zone.  If Rockford wants an economy like that of Alabama, we can duly set the standards for such an economy; we just need to continue to strip away rights for the worker.  If we seek to decrease economic inequality in our city, state, and country, however, we must stand up for the middle-class family.  An empirical research study conducted by authors from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois definitively showed that GDP decreases in so-called "Right-to-Work" zones.  As Americans ruled by the Constitution, we already have the right to work.  Let's not abandon our right-to-work-for-more.  A middle-class ward needs a middle-class advocate.  An incumbent who votes against us is no advocate of the 2nd Ward.
 

Set Prevailing Wage Standards for City Work: Local government has a tremendous capacity to be a leader and advocate for the working family by setting the standard for a good job when contracting.  With a Democratic mayor and Democratic alderman in your corner, Rockford will move in the direction of a town that is friendly to working families and working households.  Previous city officials have viewed the worker as a cog in the city's output, but what they have failed to realize is the workers make up the city.  City government will be a leader and advocate for the people and the folks who do the work to build and improve Rockford.
 

Promote Labor Organization in our Communities: In an age where Citizens United has polluted and corrupted our politics and has made the organization of capital easier than ever before, labor, too, must be able to organize.  With a President and a Governor seeking to degrade the power of the worker, let Rockford embrace its proud history as the tough blue-collar city it always was-- a place where a hard day's work brought home a solid day's pay.  The Democratic Party of Winnebago County stands with the hard worker, but the hard worker must stand with strong Democratic candidates in Winnebago county to realize a broader regional economic vitality.