6 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and 180,000 Americans dead, yet people are still refusing to wear masks and social distance. Colleges opening and closing within days as students foolishly disregard protocols in place to keep them safe. A President who discourages his minions from following protocols leading by example, encouraging noncompliance. Just nuts.
Civil unrest continues in Trump’s America. Another police shooting of an African American male, new protests and now the shooting deaths of both protesters and those opposed to the protesters. Americans killing Americans. Deafening silence on social justice and racial inequality from the Republican Convention. Just sad.
The IBEW Membership Development Conference convened yesterday and will run for the next few days virtually. We are moving forward in a pandemic-compromised world, and we were reminded by President Lonnie R. Stephenson that if workers want safe jobs in the middle of this pandemic they want union jobs. The IBEW demands safety in the workplace. Workers are going to be challenged. 40 million are unemployed, facing choices between a safe job or having a job at all, good wages or some wages, benefits or just paying the rent. These are the challenges workers will face and most employers will take advantage if they can.
The post-pandemic world will prove the value of a union job and just might give us the opportunity to grow this labor movement. Not on this President's watch. Union members for Trump, you might as well throw your union card and your benefits cards in the trash right now and then figure out how to explain to your family why that trade off was worth it. Just sad and nuts.
