By Phillylabor.com
Union Brothers, Sisters and Supporters,
As this election season comes down the home stretch, it is essential to remember why our participation and impact as a union community can literally determine the future of our very livelihood and why we can’t stand by idly and think that others are going to do it for us. The success of a union community depends very much on its political standing and impact. Philadelphia and vicinity remains one of the strongest union regions in America largely because our union leadership understands these principles and is very active in the process of supporting political candidates and legislation that supports working families and union standards. This is particularly evident when looking at other regions of the country where unions have much less impact, such as the 23 Right To Work states where Right To Work legislation, as per Section 14(b) of the Taft–Hartley Act, authorizes individual states to outlaw the union shop for employees working in their jurisdictions.
This is exactly why unions and the political process go hand in hand. It is vital to understand that, now more than ever, the same exact thing can happen in Pennsylvania if we, as a union community, do not continue to fight hard to make sure that our message and our actions are clear during the upcoming elections. Do not for one minute think that it can’t happen to us. Every person with a union card or in a union family has a responsibility to support the efforts and political agendas of their own union’s leaders to campaign and vote for candidates who represent their interests.
Often as union members, we go to work, do our jobs and look to our union leaders to be our voice in the political process. In years past, it may have been possible to take a passive approach, relying on our union officials and a select group of fanatical members to carry the political torch on our behalf. But that is no longer the case today. In this day and age of big business and the shrinking middle class, it is important to understand that it is now all of our responsibilities as union members to go above and beyond the call of duty to participate and support our union leaders in every way possible. Anything less would be the equivalent of sending a commander into battle without “all” of his soldiers.
The BOTTOM LINE is we need to make sure that all of our voices are heard this election season. Candidates need to take us seriously and understand that we can and will impact on their candidacy. Most importantly, they need to understand that we support those who support us, and our actions during the campaign and in the voting booths on election day WILL speak even louder than our words. We MUST ensure that Pennsylvania NEVER becomes a “Right To Work” state.
In the coming months you will see PhillyLabor.com pushing hard to support the pro-union candidates that support our union standards as well as promoting hard to expose those who do not. We feel strongly as an online hub for the Philadelphia area union community that it is our responsibility to help make a difference in any way we can to help preserve the standards and conditions that generations have worked so long to achieve. Therefore in the coming months, if you are wondering why our message is so strong and sometimes a little redundant, it is because we are working like our livelihoods depend on it — because they do!
Let’s keep Philadelphia and vicinity the number #1 union region in America!
PhillyLabor.com
The following states are right-to-work states:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming.
