2024 Federal Elections: What Works Best for Us?
I am writing this article prior to our Branch monthly meeting, and we are still waiting for news on a new contract. That is the problem with writing articles every other month. There is information coming at a rapid pace in the age of advanced technology. Other Branch officers are going to discuss the National Convention as well as other concerns in this edition of the LIMB Leader.
As you all should know, there is a National Election coming up on November 5th to elect a new President and many members in Congress. This is a very important election cycle that will affect the NALC as well as unions across the nation.
At the NALC National Convention last month, the delegates voiced overwhelming support for the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket. There was almost no dissent when the vote was taken. This was a little surprising since many of our members support Mr. Trump. I will also point out that at the NYS AFL-CIO constitutional convention last week in NYC, the members voted without dissent to support the Democratic ticket. The reality is that many of us understand what may happen to their jobs and retirement benefits if Mr. Trump were elected. Nobody knows what the future holds for us in life. But you can get a decent take on things by looking at past history and past positions taken.
This much is fact, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been one of the biggest supports of Labor ever. Under their leadership the union movement has grown. There were worker friendly people put in positions in the Dept. of Labor who have helped protect employee rights. Under OSHA, safety rules have improved many people’s lives. Salaries have risen. Unfortunately, inflation has cut into some of those gains. Inflation, which started under the previous administration and continued under the Biden administration, has many root causes. I believe that the biggest root cause was the pandemic and the aftershocks that it brought around the world.
That pandemic is still causing problems. Lives have been lost, Businesses continue to close, jobs are lost, and unemployment creates feelings of despair. We have all gone through these issues. Every single one of us has been affected one way or another by the pandemic and the continuing aftershocks. Manufacturing is down across the Globe. Food is getting harder to buy and the climate issues have not helped. The influx of illegal/undocumented immigrants in this country is out of control. It must be fixed, but not at the expense of civil rights abuses. Not by ripping families apart. It must be done in a civil manner and should be done as soon as possible. I hopefully believe we as a nation are headed in the right direction. You lift people up by giving hope, not tearing them down. Outside of my family, the major issue to me personally is my job and providing for my family. Without it I would not be able to survive. You must protect your job and family at all costs.
The Branch will be voting on who we will support in the upcoming election at the September meeting. Unfortunately, it will be done after this publication goes to print. The one person the membership has already endorsed is Laura Giliam in the 4th CD. This was done by vote at the June Branch meeting. If you live in the 4th CD, please support Laura. She has always been a big supporter of Letter Carriers and promises to continue in that vein if elected.
Now, let’s discuss the other side of the coin. Mr. Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance have advocated for Project 2025. This is a document written by a right wing think tank that has numerous former Trump administration officials on its board.
Project 2025 advocates for dissolving or taking away the rights of federal unions. Taking away the right to bargain and use of seniority on the job. It further gives the President and some administrative officials the right to fire those government workers at will with little to no protections. The attacks on labor are numerous, yet the gifts to big business and the ultra-rich are unconscionable. We are part of all of this plan. Mr. Trump has made no bones about using the DOJ to enforce his will and retribution those who do not agree. Project 2025 also jumps into the fray with schooling. They will prohibit any teachings about African American history. Ban any teachings about the history of slavery. It calls for mass deportations immediately with the use of concentration camps. Think about that, especially with this country’s past history. We have gone through the concentration camp bit back in WW 2 with interment of tens of thousands Japanese heritage civilians. Many of which were citizens born in this country and still thrown into camps. The attacks on the attempted overthrow of our election in 2021 will be wiped clean with Mr. Trump promising to pardon all those convicted.
At the end of the day, there is little debate on who would support us best. While I have no real personal feelings, good or bad, for Vice President Harris, but she is clearly the choice for us in this election as working people and union members. Mr. Trumps past history is one filled with nothing but putting hurt on everyone around him. He has been accused of and convicted of sexual harassment. He is currently charged with multiple felonies which could put him in jail for quite some time. One reason he is not in jail is his attorneys’ constant efforts to upset the Applecart and delay, delay and delay some more. Let’s face it, Mr. Trump is not running for President, in reality he is running for his Freedom and his life. If not for the fact he is running for President of the United States, his trials would/may have been almost completed, and in all likelihood, The Supreme Court notwithstanding, he would be in prison. His only way out at this point is to win an election and get all of his federal charges dropped. A desperate man at a desperate time in his life is also a very dangerous man.
Based on the above, I believe that the Harris/Walz ticket is right for all Federal and Postal workers, as well as all labor across the country.
