When we vote, we win!
October 11, 2024
Election season is upon us once again and your Locals have been hard at work these past couple months interviewing and vetting candidates to determine which ones will be supportive of Teamster issues. We’ve interviewed candidates running for positions as high as the US Senate down their local water board district and everything in between.
We talked to candidates about why they want the Teamsters to support them, what their views are on supporting Unions during contract negotiations, and their stances on autonomous vehicles, project labor agreements, open door policies, and the right to a fair contract with good wages and benefits. We didn’t turn anyone away who wanted to chat with us about the issues or learn more about what’s important to labor because we’re committed to educating people in office about why supporting labor is important.
Local Unions discussed amongst each other who we thought was most aligned with our labor values before we endorsed in each race. When you look at the endorsements our Joint Council has made, you can trust that these candidates all have a track record of supporting workers or have given us confidence they’ll do so. Our endorsements weren’t about the party but the values each candidate help on the issues most important to us.
As Teamsters, the most valuable tool we have is at the ballot box. We have an opportunity to elect people who will support Teamster members, to pass ballot measures that will help fund our jobs, and to reject ballot measures that would harm our communities. Local races and measures are arguably the most important to us as they can be determined by very few votes, which is why it’s so important that you vote not only for the top ticket races, but also your local races.
This November, we have an opportunity to elect a President who will make appointments to the National Labor Relations Board and the US Supreme Court. These two bodies have major impacts on our rights to organize, the existence of Right to Work laws, and the extent to which corporations are held accountable to their actions. These are issues that will impact workers for years and likely decades to come. I challenge all of us not to think about what party we belong to, but to think about who will be there for the working person in all the races we are voting in–from President down to school board. We need to build a full bench of labor candidates, and that starts with us being involved and educated when we vote.
In California, ballots will be mailed out by October 7 and in Nevada by October 16 for mail-in voters. Early in-person voting begins October 19 in Nevada, and wherever you are, remember to turn in your ballot and vote by November 5!
