Make no mistake about it, working people won this election.
Union workers showed up to the polls in record numbers to choose unity, resilience and love for America. Our nation’s healing begins today.
We are celebrating our incredible victory because, from day one, we refused to roll over and accept the Trump Administration’s nefarious agenda. We knew he was corrosive for America – and he proved it, over and over again, with his disastrous legislation, chaotic style and the complete failure to the workers on the frontlines of this pandemic.
Those days are officially over. Now we can start the process of healing our nation. And as members of one of the most formidable labor unions in America, it is our duty to help undo all the damage done.
Even with President-Elect Joe Biden poised to assume office in mid-January, our union still has a lot of work ahead of us.
Our top priority: We must get a federal bill through Congress that provides relief to local municipalities – like the cities, counties and other public agencies that the vast majority of SEIU 721 members work for.
Without this federal relief, the likelihood is very high that we will face layoffs and furloughs throughout our union. THAT CANNOT HAPPEN – so we MUST organize, from the start, to ensure that the Biden Administration and Congress hear us loud and clear.
Our next priority: We must get President-Elect Biden to commit 100% to protecting all workers nationwide with PPE to protect us against COVID-19.
Until a vaccine is nationally and publicly available, COVID-19 is still with us – and still deadly. More than 200,000 Americans already have paid the ultimate price for the Trump Administration’s indifference and ineptitude. The Biden Administration must deliver true leadership on this front.
Our final priority: We must recommit to organizing all workers, across America, with Unions for All.
The COVID-19 pandemic proved what we, as organized labor, had been warning about for many years: Workers are the backbone of America and, without our labor, it all falls apart.
Protecting our personal health and our nation’s health is inseparable. We cannot risk it – and we cannot trust anyone else to protect it properly but workers themselves.
THAT’S US.
So let’s enjoy this big victory during this historic time. It’s a watershed moment that none of us will ever forget.
Then, let’s get ready to organize and mobilize. It’s up to us – America’s union workers – to rise to the challenge and ensure that change we see in Washington, DC, goes from talk to action effective immediately.
As always, we’ll do this together – because, together, we win!