AG Letitia James Addresses Labor Union Election Protection Coalition ‘Captains’ Six Days Before Election Day
Rank & file NYC union members convene an ‘Emergency Worker Summit’ on election integrity
New York, NY – On Wednesday, October 28, more than 120 rank and file member-leaders of affiliated unions of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, including 32BJ SEIU, 1199SEIU, LIUNA Eastern Region, NYSNA, CWA District 1, PSC/CUNY, UAW Region 9A, AFM 802, HTC, IBEW Local 3, AFSCME DC37, OPEIU Local 153, and AGMA gathered for an “Emergency Worker Summit” at 1199 Headquarters to receive training on protecting election integrity ahead of the Midterms.
With reports of election interference pouring in from across the country, including federal subpoenas for voter roles in New Jersey and voter intimidation by federal agents in New York, the recently established cross-union “Election Protection Coalition” is taking proactive measures to protect workers’ constitutional right to vote and have their voices heard.
On October 15, approximately a thousand New York union members from nearly twenty unions representing over a million members gathered on the steps of Farley Post Office to announce their intentions to protect free and fair elections, in part by training members to counter potential avenues of interference. On Wednesday, as part of the emergency worker summit, members learned about how to respond to potential election sabotage, shared their plans for getting the union vote out in full force, their plans to ensure all voters are able to vote on election day, and heard from Attorney General Letitia James about efforts to protect elections in New York state.
“Generations of union members marched, organized, and sacrificed to secure our most fundamental rights,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who spoke at the summit. “Now, with Election Day less than a week away, we all share the responsibility to protect those rights as fiercely as those who came before us. For months, my office has been preparing alongside election officials, law enforcement, and partners across New York to ensure a safe, secure election. We are hard at work because working people deserve a government that hears them and answers to them. My office will use its full authority to make sure your voices are heard, your rights are protected, and your votes are counted.”
In efforts to intimidate voters and sow chaos, in the past weeks, the administration has begun unlawful arrests for those allegedly registering to vote as noncitizens, and threatened to prosecute California officials for counting ballots for voters the administration alleges are “likely noncitizen,” and has continued unlawful efforts to obtain sensitive state voter-roll data. Given Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, repeated statements casting doubt on the legitimacy of U.S. elections, and ongoing efforts to restrict voting access, organized labor across the country is organizing for the possibility that the President and his administration will contest or reject any unfavorable election outcomes.
Union members know that ensuring that elections are free and fair is essential to their fight for the voice of working people. 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 restrict voting, organized labor has long played a pivotal role in defending the right of working people to participate in democracy. Organized labor has been on the frontlines of defense against attacks on our immigrant communities, efforts to discourage working-class New Yorkers from accessing education and healthcare, and from participating in our economy and our democracy. New York labor unions are united with allied organizations across the city and labor unions across the country to ensure that working people are educated and prepared to protect their voice and their vote in any eventuality.
“We are here tonight because if we don’t defend democracy, the oligarchs will have their way and we will lose our freedoms. That’s why over a thousand frontline healthcare workers have attended my union's Defending Democracy workshops, and we are knocking doors in critical districts every weekend. 1199SEIU members have a long and proud history of fighting for democracy since we founded our union, and we will never stop fighting for democracy, for ourselves, our patients, and all New Yorkers,” said Joy Montague, a Licensed Practical Nurse (“LPN”) from the Bronx who is a member of 1199SEIU.
Zoraida Rodriguez, commercial cleaner and member of 32BJ SEIU, said, “32BJ doorman, airport workers, security guards, cleaners and the rest of the city’s labor movement have been busy over the past few months mobilizing voters to defend our democracy. It's so inspiring to be surrounded tonight by so many union members committed to standing together in the coming months. Together, we will ensure that our votes are counted, and our voices are heard!”
“We've had a lot of acrimony over previous election results from the commander in chief, and we're not convinced that we can trust him to secure the votes and count them accurately," said LIUNA Local 79 Journeyworker Enda Dirrane. "With the Midterm Elections coming up, I'm supporting my union, and the labor movement in general, by gathering here tonight with other unions to develop a gameplan to make sure that everything is copacetic and that all the votes are counted and the results are accepted.”
“We want to elect officials who are going to stand up for us, but we have to be the ones who are organizing. We’ve got to make sure that we’re not only getting out the vote but that we’re explaining to people that we have to defend the vote,” said PSC/CUNY member Nancy Romer. “That’s exactly what we're planning for here. We have to be brave at a really important time.”
Collectively, labor unions have 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 trainings, have organized hundreds of poll-watchers, and have created rapid-response networks. In the event that the administration takes unlawful or authoritarian action, labor unions are also preparing for different forms of mass mobilization, mass labor actions, and whatever it takes to protect our democracy. Together, these unions represent over one million working people across New York, including building service workers, healthcare workers, nurses, communications workers, entertainment and hospitality workers, legal services and cultural workers, retail workers, public sector workers, non-profit workers, university faculty and staff, construction trades workers, and more.
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Photos and video from the event are available here.