Joe Biden just scored a big win
You may not have noticed, but Joe Biden scored yet another win this week when he picked up an endorsement from AFL-CIO, the country’s biggest coalition of labor unions – made up of 55 unions and representing 12.5 million workers. The union will also be making a push for his campaign in over a dozen battleground states.
While workers don’t always vote for the candidate their union supports, there’s a few other things that don’t look so good for Donald Trump. Trump’s upset victories in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 2016 have been partially attributed to his ability to make speeches that made him sound pro-worker, even though he’s done nothing but stiff workers out of pay his whole life. Trump is hoping that a few union members might fall for his rhetoric again, even though his visit to a Ford manufacturing plant earlier this month was a disaster.
Donald Trump also has a record that consistently demonstrates why his administration has been disastrous for the rights of workers, culminating in a pandemic where employees are forced to choose between their job and their health, and could be the last straw for voters who are on the fence. There’s also been a considerable decline in one bracket of support Trump needs – white voters without college degrees. This group still supports him to be sure, but by between 18-24 points, while last time he won with over 64% of their support. As plants are reopening, these numbers could look even less favorable for Trump.
Biden’s platform includes the PRO Act which House Democrats passed last year, and if passed would be the most significant victory for collective bargaining in the 21st century – while dealing a serious blow to “right to work” laws across the country. The only way to see things like the PRO Act become law, however, is to vote for Joe and Democrats across the board and help them win in November.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making