New York City labor unions gathered en masse ahead of this weekend’s “No Kings” rallies vowing to help safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections. Photos/Steve Wishnia
By Bob Hennelly
On this episode of We Decide on WBAI we welcome Work-Bites correspondent Steve Wishnia to talk more about the Oct. 15 labor rally on the steps of the Farley Post Office that drew close to a thousand people and representatives from dozens of unions.
“Hundreds of workers from a score of unions packed the two-block-wide steps of the city’s main post office Oct. 15 for a rally launching a labor campaign to protect elections from tampering by the Trump administration,” Wishnia reported. “ A five-piece drums-and-horns combo from American Federation of Musicians Local 802 pumped out a New Orleans-style parade beat while Laborers Union organizer Anthony Williamson led chants of ‘Union in the house’ and ‘This is what democracy looks like.’”
The massive rally was coordinated by the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and brought multiple unions together including: 32BJ SEIU, 1199SEIU, NYSNA, CWA District 1, CWA Local 1180, PSC/CUNY, DC 37 AFSCME, UAW Region 9A, LIUNA Eastern Region, APWU New York Metro Area Postal Union Local 10, AFM Local 802, IUPAT DC9, Local Union No. 3, IBEW, UFCW Local 1500, IATSE Local One, RWDSU, OPEIU Local 153, and the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council.
“When you attack the right to vote, you are attacking working people plain and simple. If this administration thinks they can rewrite the rules to quiet the very workers who keep our economy running, they are sadly mistaken,” Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), said at the rally. “The labor movement isn't going to let that happen. Our members use their vote to protect their livelihoods, their paychecks, their families, and their communities. We’re standing together today to make sure every worker's voice counts, because we refuse to let anyone silence working people.”
“The Trump administration has terrorized our immigrant students, colleagues and neighbors. They've suppressed faculty research and the right to free speech and are blatantly attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the midterm elections,” said James Davis, President, Professional Staff Congress/CUNY. “PSC members are proud to stand with New York's labor movement as we throw down a marker to say clearly that we will fight back when authoritarians try to silence our voice, our vote and our democracy.”
“Over the last year we have seen repeated attacks on voting rights with a particular focus on weakening the voice of working people,” said 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich. “As a union of immigrants and people of color, we are disgusted by this administration’s attempts to weaken our votes. Whether election tampering happens in NY, Florida, Texas or anywhere – it impacts us all. Any attempt to undermine our elections jeopardizes our democracy and the basic principles of this country. The New York City labor movement, stationed in an economic epicenter, has an important role to play in standing up to any tampering and making sure the voices of working people are heard.”
Listen to Steve’s entire interview below—and the rest of the We Decide episode including discussions about ICE breaking the law and Donald Trump’s latest geopolitical gyrations here.