(NEW YORK CITY) - On Thursday (October 15th), Affiliated Member Unions of the New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council - including: 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU); 1199 SEIU; the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA); Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 1; CWA Local 1180, Professional Staff Congress-City University of New York (PSC/CUNY); District Council 37 American Federation of State, County & Municipal Workers (AFSCME); United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9A; LIUNA (Laborers) Eastern Region; American Postal Workers Union (APWU) New York Metro Area Postal Union Local 10; American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802; International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 9; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 3; United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500; International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local One; the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU); Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153; and the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council - gathered in front of the Farley Post Office to announce a new Election Protection Labor Coalition to defend their Members’ right to vote.

With 1,000 Union Members from different industries participating in the event, Labor Leaders said in the face of the Trump Administration’s attacks on Democracy, Organized Labor is taking a number of pro-active measures to protect the right to vote, encourage participation in elections and ensure every ballot is counted.

The Trump Administration has already taken several actions to disrupt elections and to undermine the rights of voters, they said, including stifling protected speech and dissent, disenfranchising voters, manipulating the law and defying the Courts to stay in power.

The Trump Administration “is repeatedly and continually attacking our Democracy and the rights of Working People,” Labor Leadership said, and the Trump Administration “is already sowing doubt about the November Mid-Term Election results and is trying to suppress the votes of Working-Class Voters across the country.” 

Given Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, repeated statements casting doubt on the legitimacy of U.S. Elections and efforts to restrict voting access, those Labor Leaders who spoke at Thursday’s event are taking seriously the possibility Trump and his Administration will contest or reject any unfavorable election outcomes.

In addition, the Trump Administration’s campaign attacking Immigrants in New York City and across the country has also caused fear and confusion and has discouraged many Working-Class New Yorkers from accessing education and health care - and from participating in our economy and our Democracy, they said.

It has also broken families and removed long-time friends and neighbors from our communities, the Labor Leaders said, with 40% of New York City residents foreign born, as are countless Union Members.

The Labor Movement stands in support of their rights as well, they said.

Local, National and International News Outlets have reported on a range of possible actions surrounding the Mid-Terms, including the Trump Administration deploying the National Guard to polling locations in Swing Districts; attempting to change voting laws to disenfranchise or de-register hundreds of thousands of voters; rejecting or refusing to certify election results deemed unfavorable; and generally sowing confusion before, during and after Election Day.

In response, New York City’s Labor Leaders are standing together in solidarity to ensure Working People are educated and prepared to protect their voice and their vote in any eventuality. 

The Labor Movement is prepared for all outcomes, they said, and - collectively, Organized Labor has turned out thousands of Workers for Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts, made tens of thousands of GOTV calls, and knocked on thousands of doors.

In anticipation of election sabotage, Unions have hosted dozens of Know-Your-Rights Training Sessions, organized hundreds of Poll-Watchers, and created Rapid-Response Networks.

Taking cues from Minneapolis and other Cities where the Trump Administration has unleashed terror, they are organizing an Emergency Worker Summit to educate and train Members.

In the event the Trump Administration takes unlawful or authoritarian action, Unions are also preparing for different forms of mass mobilization, mass labor actions, and whatever it takes to protect our Democracy. 

From Labor’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and support for the Voting Rights Act to contemporary fights to oppose Court rulings and legislation that restricts voting, Organized Labor has long played a pivotal role in defending the rights of Working People to participate in Democracy.

Recent attacks on Immigrant Communities and efforts to disenfranchise voters have been met by vocal opposition from Organized Labor across the country.

In New York, Labor Leaders assert it is Organized Labor’s role to educate voters, mobilize communities and demand Democracy.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: New York City Labor Unions Come Together to Launch Election Protection Labor Coalition in “Our Voice. Our Vote. Our Democracy.” | New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Photo Courtesy Of LiUNA Eastern Region’s Facebook Page.