Press Releases

Gilmore Begs for Votes From Working Families he Shunned

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, July 29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 29, 2008
GILMORE BEGS FOR VOTES FROM WORKING FAMILIES HE ONCE SHUNNED
Armstrong, Reynolds ask Senate candidate why he left Southside families behind

With Republican Senate Candidate Jim Gilmore taking his 'Working Families Tour' to Southside Virginia on Tuesday and Wednesday, two local leaders demanded that Gilmore explain to Southside working families why he left them behind as Governor.

Delegate Ward Armstrong (D-Henry) and Senator Roscoe Reynolds (D-Henry) called on Gilmore to explain his 2000 decision to block bipartisan efforts that would have enhanced jobless benefits to pay for health insurance for 3,300 unemployed textile workers.

"Jim Gilmore may call his visit a 'Working Families Tour,'" said Delegate Armstrong, "But the facts show that, when he had a chance to actually help working families in Martinsville, he repeatedly chose not to. He still owes this community an explanation."

When the giant sweatshirt maker Tultex Corporation suddenly shut its doors in 2000, then-Governor Gilmore repeatedly turned a deaf ear to bipartisan General Assembly efforts to provide modest relief to families through emergency unemployment assistance.

Just this month, Gilmore defended his insensitivity toward this community in crisis as recently as the July 17, 2008 debate sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association: "The program that was put forward there was going to be a special program that was going to favor one Virginia worker over another, would favor the people only in Southside and not people in other parts of the state," Gilmore said during the debate.

In 2000, Armstrong, Reynolds and other members of the General Assembly vigorously fought Gilmore. "There's only one person who is diametrically opposed to this, and he's the governor," Armstrong said at the time. [AP, 2/12/2000]

In contrast, when the textile company Pillowtex announced on July 31, 2003, that it would close, unexpectedly displacing more than 1,000 workers, Governor Mark Warner visited the community the next day and rallied the resources of the local, state and federal governments to try to help displaced workers.

"During an emergency visit to Henry County and Martinsville on Thursday, Gov. Mark R. Warner pledged to do everything he can to help the community recover from the loss of Pillowtex Corp., including seeking federal help. "We're going to go the extra mile" to help terminated workers make ends meet and find new jobs, provide water to Fieldale and find a buyer for the Pillowtex factory, Warner said," according to the Martinsville Bulletin. [Martinsville Bulletin, 8/1/03]

"The people of Southside have clear memories about which of these two former governors stepped-up and tried to help a community in crisis and which one repeatedly gave us the cold shoulder," said State Senator Roscoe Reynolds. "Mark Warner walked that extra mile with us, and worked with Southside to help families in their time of need. Jim Gilmore gave us the back of his hand, and he still owes us an explanation for the cavalier way he dismissed us when the people of Southside needed his help the most."

When Pillowtex announced it was closing in 2003, Governor Warner acted quickly to secure $3.2 million in federal job retraining funds, secured federal approval of a program allowing eligible workers to claim a federal tax credit for health insurance costs, and deployed "Coordinated Economic Relief Centers" to the region that allowed "one-stop shopping" for federal, state, and local, public and private sector resources for displaced Pillowtex workers. The CERCs also provided a range of useful information and services to help workers find new employment opportunities and pursue retraining for new job skills.

The three CERCs established during the Warner administration resulted in more than 1,700 job placements.

"Jim Gilmore the candidate can spout whatever slogan he wants, but working families in Southside know where he really stands," Armstrong said. "When he had the chance to help, Gilmore treated us like we didn't exist. He'll sure have a lot of explaining to do today."

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