It has been said that gains at the bargaining table can be wiped out at the ballot box. Is that possible? Absolutely. When union members don’t vote or vote against their own economic interests they usually get what they deserve. Ask those public employee union members who voted for Scott Walker in Wisconsin. Shortly after his inauguration in 2011, Walker introduced a budget plan which limited the collective bargaining rights of most Wisconsin public employees. Brilliant. Ask the building tradesmen who voted in West Virginia for legislators who passed House Bill 4005 on February 4, 2016 and became effective on May 4, 2016 that repealed the statutory authority for the prevailing wages. As a result, there are no prevailing wages in West Virginia at this time. What were they thinking? It’s baffling that union members cut their own throats supporting pro-Right to Work candidates then complain why they’re making Walmart wages. The truth hurts. They buy into candidates who want to destroy their own unions or somehow think that not having to pay dues will make them better off.
It would be unconscionable for active or retired members dependent on the continuing success of their union for their benefits to vote for a candidate who would ultimately work toward the elimination of trade unions or collective bargaining or Pla’s or prevailing rates. There are a lot of union members who are not very excited about the idea of Hillary Rodham Clinton becoming our next president; however, the alternative a Trump presidency would be a disaster for unions and the members we serve. Harry reminded us that a worker with a union has at least a chance for a better life and that a worker without a union has no chance. Remember that. Think about how your decision could determine your future and the impact on your family. Think about the value of what your membership has been able to provide for you and your loved ones. Why would you risk all the gains and your standard of living to vote for someone who has no interest in your ability to have a better life. Trump is a businessman, he builds union when he has to and doesn’t when he doesn’t. He believes American workers are overpaid and that unions destroy jobs. Trumps supporters are pro-business, pro-deregulation, anti-worker and anti-union. Where does that put you? On a path to Walmart wages subservient to the 1% who will further shift the burden of tax revenue to the working poor and leave a lot of devastation in their wake. All the Trump rhetoric aside, who do you really think he wants to make America great again for, not you, and yes, to break your bubble, the truth does hurt.
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