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The nation’s largest coalition of hunting, fishing and
conservation organizations welcomes millions of union members in the
effort to guarantee you places to hunt and fish
ORLANDO--“Millions more are about to join the fight to guarantee all
Americans a place to hunt and fish,” said Matthew B. Connolly Jr.,
President and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
(TRCP), announcing the launch of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance
(USA). The TRCP, a coalition of hunting, fishing and conservation
organizations, and its 20 affiliated AFL-CIO labor union partners
collaborated to provide more than 3.2 million union workers across
the U.S. and Canada who hunt, fish and recreate in the outdoors
their own dues-based, union-dedicated sporting club. The USA will
recruit and engage tens of thousands of union sportsmen and women,
adding strength and influence to the TRCP’s efforts to guarantee
access for hunters and anglers, conserve fish and wildlife habitat,
and increase funding for conservation.
“Quality places
to hunt and fish are disappearing -- threatening America’s sporting
heritage,” said Tom Buffenbarger, President of the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and TRCP board
member.“The USA will help turn the tide by unifying union sportsmen
and women across the country to form a strong voice of influence.”
An independent, scientific opinion survey of TRCP’s 20 labor union
partners revealed that 70 percent of their members, or approximately
3.2 million, hunt and fish. And 71 percent of those 3.2 million
union workers represented do not belong to any hunting, fishing or
conservation organization. This indicates that the USA program
offers an unparalleled opportunity to reach a significantly
unaffiliated market of sportsmen and women.
“For many of our
members, hunting and fishing isn’t just what they do in their free
time, they’re part of who they are.We’re proud to offer a program to
help our hardworking men and women enjoy the activities they’re
passionate about,” said Harold Schaitberger, General President of
International Association of Fire Fighters. According to Richard
Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, “When union workers get
on a job, they get it done right, so bringing them together in this
new way promises to dramatically advance the effort to better
conserve our natural resources.”
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The Theodore Roosevelt
Conservation Partnership is a coalition of leading hunting, fishing
and conservation organizations and individual partners working
together to guarantee access to places to hunt and fish, conserve
fish and wildlife habitat, and increase funding for conservation.
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