LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Isn’t it About Time We Put a Worker in the White House?

Originally published in Labor Today

Dear Editor,

Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the trade union movement has put its support behind the Democratic Party to make America a better place to be a worker. “Voting blue no matter who” when you’re in a labor union just seems to come with the territory. This continued backing is recently coming into question as it seems the Democratic Party is mainly interested in supporting unions in word and not in deed.

The “Protect the Right to Organize” or PRO Act has been stalled in the Senate for three years despite a Democratic majority. The potential rail strike of December 2022 was crushed by railroad companies with the help of Democrats imposing a lack-luster contract on the workers. Perhaps this why the International President of the United Auto Workers delayed in giving Joe Biden the union’s official endorsement until the CAP Conference on January 24th, which could be a deciding factor in the 2024 presidential election.

When the rubber hits the road, Democrats will go back on their word and react just as fiercely as any other politician. This is why working people need to put their support behind candidates who will really support them when the going gets rough. It seems those candidates cannot be found inside either major political party. The time is ripe to support third party candidates and show that labor is fed up with the rigged two-party system. Isn’t it about time we put a worker in the white house?

Signed,
A Disgruntled Operating Engineer