We've given you background
information on both Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
We've explained the Equal Rights Amendment
resolution that will be on the ballot and why it's
so important to vote YES. And we've listed our
endorsed candidates in Congress, and the state
Senate and Assembly.
I would be remiss at this point if I didn't recap
our special election coverage and talk about
the importance of voting. While we all know that
voting is a fundamental right, I just cannot stress
enough the importance of voting in this election.
While all elections are important in determining
who will be your next political leaders, no election
in recent history is as important as this presidential
election on Nov. 5. When I say the future of our
country is at stake, I am not overexaggerating
one bit. We have already had one go-round with
Donald Trump as president, so we know how
dangerous this man can actually be.
After claiming that Joe Biden and the Democrats
stole the election from him four years ago, no one
can forget the Jan. 6, 2021, riots in Washington,
D.C. as Congress was meeting to certify those
results that resulted in a violent and heavily
armed mob of Trump supporters storming the
U.S. Capitol. While lawmakers and staff were
quickly ushered to secure locations or barricaded
behind doors, the rioters pushed past severely
outnumbered Capitol police, breaking windows
and vandalizing offices, leaving five people dead.
That Trump-incited mob attack was an attack not
just on the U.S. Capitol building, but also on our
American democracy and our election process.
Is this the man you want back in the Oval Office
running our country? There are so many negatives
when talking about the man I refer to as #45 that
it would be impossible to list them all.
However, for the sake of space, and probably
my sanity, here are the highlights that should
help anyone sitting on the fence to make a wise
voting decision:
- Trump has made increasing the power of
corporations over working people his top
priority.
- He is extremely anti-union, encouraging
freeloaders and making it more difficult to
enforce collective bargaining agreements,
silencing workers, and restricting the
freedom to join a union.
- During his presidency, Trump packed the
courts with anti-labor judges who have
made the entire public sector “right to work
for less” in an attempt to financially weaken
unions.
- He stacked the National Labor Relations
Board with anti-union appointees who side
with employers in contract disputes and
support companies who delay and stall
union elections, and misclassify workers to
take away their freedom to join a union.
- Trump made it easier for employers to fire
or penalize workers who speak up for better
pay and working conditions or exercise the
right to strike.
- He promised to veto the PRO Act and the
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act,
historic legislation that will reverse decades
of legislation meant to crush private sector
unions and shift power away from CEOs to
workers.
- Trump has restricted overtime pay, opposed
wage increases, and gutted health and
safety protections.
- He changed the rules about who qualifies
for overtime pay, making more than 8 million
workers ineligible and costing them more
than $1 billion per year in lost wages.
- He has encouraged outsourcing and
offshoring.
There's more. So much more. But I think, and
hope, you get the point. Trump is a danger to
America and a definite danger to organized labor.
He has made it very clear that he stands on the
side of businesses and corporations and not with
the working middle-class.
While Trump claims to be pro-worker, his record
says he’s anti-union.
You've heard it a million times, but it's true, and
it's worth repeating a million more right up until
election day. This is the most important election
of your life. To the unregistered, it's time to
register and stand up for your rights. To the
younger generation, this is about your future.
To union members, this is about your ability to
remain part of a union that has the ability to
continue fighting for its members. To those in the
40s, 50s, and 60s, this is about your ability to
help your children and grandchildren while still
being able to retire with dignity. To women, this
is about your ability to make medical decisions in
your own best interest.
I am asking every single one of our members to
do your part. Talk to your family members, your
friends, your neighbors, and your co-workers.
Educate them. Let them know what a vote for
Trump really means.
Michelle Obama said it best during her speech
at the Democratic National Convention. "If you
can't do a whole lot, do something."
We all need to do our "something" before it's
too late. I hope every one of our members
and our retirees votes, and votes smartly. This
presidential election, like most, is playing on
emotions. There is a lot of story-telling going on
and sometimes it's hard to know what's fact and
what's fiction.
Do your homework. Vote with your head, not
your emotions. Let's all do what we can to make
sure Kamala Harris and Tim Walz become our
next president and vice president so our country
can continue to move forward on a positive path,
not take a giant step backward.
As I get older and live through more elections,
I see how America the great is not so great for
everyone equally. We can continue to change
that if we allow Kamala Harris to forge ahead
on the path that Joe Biden set for her. He made
tremendous positive change in the last four
years and Kamala Harris, given the opportunity,
will make even more in the next four years.
Who you vote for when you head to your polling
location on Election Day is your choice, but
please make sure you know all the facts before
you cast your vote.
.