With the big presidential election all but over, many people are resting easy – relieved that we’ll have a real voice for workers in the White House. And it’s true that our new President-Elect Joe Biden and other allies in Washington, DC actually value the work we do.
But don’t assume the future will just go the way we want it to. We’ll only get what we need if we insist on it – and if we’re prepared to mobilize for it through our union.
The forces of greed made a KILLING during the Trump Administration. They are used to it – and they will NOT react kindly to working men and women like us across America insisting on our fair share of the pie.
Yet we truly have no other choice.
After the New Year, we’ll start bargaining with LA County for a new contract. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is resurging again, LA County faces a projected $935.3 million deficit.
It is real – and it is coming for us in the form of lay-offs and salary cuts unless we get serious federal assistance.
Unfortunately, the state can’t help us since California faces its own $54.3 billion deficit – and voters just rejected Prop 15, also known as “Schools and Communities First.” That initiative would have added $12 billion every year to California’s coffers.
So it’s on us to get what we need from Washington, DC.
We CAN do it – and they CAN help. Never forget: Under the Trump Administration, the feds already gave richest of the rich $5 trillion in relief courtesy of us, the US taxpayers.
The money is there. It’s up to us to fight for our fair share.
And never forget: We deserve it and more!
We’re the ones who’ve kept this nation functional in the face of this entire COVID-19 crisis. And many Americans are still alive because essential workers like us literally have kept society from falling apart.
It would be outrageous to reward us with lay-offs and salary cuts. But if federal relief doesn’t come, that’s what will happen.
Individually, it’s tough to counteract this daunting news. But when we stand together as a union, we are a force to be reckoned with. The more of us that join together, the more we cannot be ignored … and the stronger we are.
Our power is in our numbers. This is the key to victory.
The quality of our livelihoods – quite possibly our jobs themselves – will depend on how effectively we engage with our union. COVID-19 is re-emerging, the economy is faltering and only federal relief will save us now that Prop 15 lost.
If we stay union strong, we will persevere. We can do it and we will, together.