The 19th anniversary of 9/11 has passed. 19 years is a somber milestone and it doesn’t get any easier. Our hearts go out to the families of those murdered on September 11, 2001 in the attack on the World Trade Center. We cannot and will not ever forget them. Nor will we forget the first responders and those who worked on the recovery effort on the pile — many of them now sick and too many who have since died, succumbing to the illnesses brought on by their exposure to the toxins at the site. We also revere the sacrifices of those who rushed to serve our country in the Armed Forces in the aftermath, especially those who played a role in the successful mission that resulted in the death of the terrorist Bin Laden who masterminded the 9/11 attack.
There are less than eight weeks until Election Day and today the Local 3 Executive Board took action to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States and Kamala Harris for Vice President. There is not enough space here to lay out the justification for the endorsement or talk about how important this election is. We will do that in the Union World, on social media, through phone banks to members, and in conversations on the job site. Local 3 has been making the case for a long time.
The case is that we have a President who has gone out of his way to destroy the labor movement and, given the opportunity, will continue to further reduce the high standards won by unions. I cannot fathom how a member of the IBEW who makes a good living; can afford a home and to send their children to college; is covered by good employer-paid medical coverage and supplemental benefit plans like annuity and 401k, legal services and educational benefits; and has earned pensions from the local, the IO, and the NEBF, along with retiree medical — all benefits that they would never have if it weren’t for their being a member of Local 3, IBEW — how could they still support Trump. So I ask, what would compel union members with everything at stake to vote for a person that could care less about their economic interests? What could possibly be more important to you than the middle-class lifestyle that you and our union has provided for your family?
