Joyce Craig kicks off ‘Freedom & Opportunity’ tour focused on working families

A diverse array of labor leaders gathered in Concord Monday morning to kick off Democratic candidate Joyce Craigs’ “Freedom and Opportunity Tour” of the state, highlighting her vision for supporting workers and families across New Hampshire.

In her remarks, Craig emphasized the values she learned growing up in a union household. 

“I saw firsthand at times how my parents had a hard time making ends meet, and this is a critical moment [for working families],” she said.

As mayor of Manchester, Craig touted her record of creating thousands of jobs, raising wages, and supporting small businesses. She pledged to continue that work as governor, with a focus on affordable housing, childcare, and public education.

“I’m the only candidate in this race that has plans to create more opportunities and protect freedoms for all residents in New Hampshire, and the only candidate with the executive experience knows how to get it done,” Craig said.

Local labor leaders touted her personal upbringing as key to why they trusted her to deliver for their members.

“Joyce has a vision of what helps families in our state,” said Nick Lydon of IBEW Local 490, saying Craig’s experience supporting unions came from first-hand experience.

“Her father was a retired 490 member, and through his work, she saw what a difference, great health insurance, good pay, job security and a true retirement plan can do for a family.”

Lydon went on to criticize Craig’s opponent, Kelly Ayotte, for her record of serving on corporate boards that have been “bad for workers.” He cited Ayotte’s involvement with companies like Blackstone, Caterpillar, and News Corp that have faced labor violations and shipped jobs overseas.

“Granite State workers can’t trust Kelly Ayotte to advocate for safe working conditions and to protect our jobs,” he said. “Joyce does bring a lived experience growing up in a union family. She has personal and direct knowledge of what our union members and their families are going through.”

RELATED: Kelly Ayotte uses Moms for Liberty activist in TV ad; Group offered bounties on NH teachers in 2021

Kim Hokansson of Carpenters Local 352 said, “Joyce’s record speaks for itself. She has brought in millions of dollars in new economic development, created thousands of new jobs and always put Granite Staters, workers and families first.”

Hokansson highlighted Craig’s investments in workforce development and apprenticeship programs, which she said are “a foundation to training professional carpenters and setting our members up for a productive and successful career.”

Meanwhile, Ayotte’s record in the private sector has been marked by numerous labor violations. 

Between 2017 and 2024, Kelly Ayotte earned over $3.4 million in cash compensation and acquired more than $5.3 million in stock from Blackstone, Caterpillar, and News Corp., all while serving as a director on their boards. During her tenure, companies controlled by Blackstone were fined over $2.3 million by OSHA and the Department of Labor, including a $1.5 million fine for employing minors at meat processing facilities. Caterpillar faced more than $365,000 in fines for workplace safety violations, including an incident where an employee died, while News Corp.’s subsidiary HarperCollins was fined $9,000 for a safety violation.

At the same time, these companies laid off or planned to lay off over 22,000 workers during Ayotte’s board tenure. Blackstone’s subsidiary Great Wolf Resort laid off 912 workers, and its affiliate MGM Resorts announced plans to lay off 18,000 workers. Caterpillar cut at least 1,198 jobs and offshored over 1,200 more, while approving $500 million in shareholder dividends. Ayotte personally stood to gain from Caterpillar’s dividend payout. News Corp. also announced layoffs of 1,250 workers, with its subsidiary Dow Jones cutting an additional 176 jobs.