Editorial: We Are Just A Few Days Away From November 3
October 26, 2020
We must vote like our lives depend on it.
Did you vote? Doesn’t matter how – mail ballot, in person, early vote. Whichever. Just, have you voted? And, second, have you talked to your family and friends—specifically, three of them—about voting. If not, you should. Today. The fancy term is vote tripling, but really it just means that you’re making sure three people you know have voted or are going to vote.
1199ers know how to get out a vote. We know how elections work and the consequences of apathy. Throughout our history, 1199ers’ power has made the difference in numerous elections and awakened political and labor activists who’ve led movements that resulted in real, concrete change for tens of thousands in healthcare and other workers. Just recently, we saw an incredible victory in New Jersey around nursing home staffing and minimum wages for certified nursing assistants and national recognition of our alltoo- often forgotten homecare workers. None of that would have been possible without educated member-leaders who understood their political power and how to use it.
Right now, we’re just a few days away from the Presidential Election. For the last few months, 1199ers across our union have been mobilized to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and other worker-friendly candidates. They’re using new digital tools and skills, often learned on the fly, so they can connect with workers and voters all across the country. You can join them. Talk to your organizer or delegate, or go to < a href="https://americaforall2020.org/" target="_blank">www.AmericaForAll2020.org.
In none of our lifetimes have the stakes been higher. It’s hard to imagine how much more difficult life will be for millions of us if the current occupant of the White House is re-elected. Lately, three states have been on fire, at least one is drowning, and much of the rest of the country is either choking on smoke or fending off spiking coronavirus case numbers. Add to that police shootings, white supremacist terrorism, and the forced sterilization of women migrants illegally detained in ICE camps. You get the picture.
Election Day is approaching. We are faced with the possibility of re-electing a national “leadership” that’ll continue to spray us with a firehose of lies, dismantle our institutions, and reverse every bit of progress we’ve made as working people.
You can do something about it. You can get involved. You can get your co-workers and family members involved. You can make phone calls and send text messages. You can talk to people in your community about issues like education, immigration, racial justice, health care and labor rights. You can make sure we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who will rebuild our country into an America that works for us all.
