Dear Commons Community,

Below is AFT President Randi Weingarten’s Labor Day message.  She makes several important  points about the upcoming presidential election.

It is worth a read.

Tony

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Dear AFT Members:

It’s Labor Day, and unions continue to be at their highest favorability levels.

We know why: Unions are how we create a better life for ourselves, our families and our communities. Through our unions, we fight for the teaching and learning conditions that educators and support staff need to help students thrive, the safe staffing that healthcare workers need to help patients, and the safe working conditions that public employees need to better serve communities. Through our unions, we fight for the living wage, dignified retirement and high-quality healthcare you and your family deserve.

And we fight for elected officials who share our values. That’s why this year we are celebrating Labor Day in Detroit alongside our members and Vice President Kamala Harris.

As I said in my speech before the Democratic National Convention, one of the lessons my students taught me is to walk the walk. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz walk the walk.

This Labor Day, on behalf of myself and my fellow national officers Fedrick and Evelyn, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to each of you—the 1.8 million members of the AFT—and our steadfast allies who continue to stand in solidarity with us. We are profoundly thankful for your unwavering commitment. Every day, you make a difference in people’s lives. That is the essense of who we are as a union. And despite the escalating attacks from figures like JD Vance and Donald Trump—attacks that intensify as the election draws nearer—you embody the very best of America.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz share our values.

They are not just building on the progress made by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris—they’re creating opportunities and fighting for our freedoms. Just take a look at their plans:

• Lower housing costs and build 3 million new homes.
• Fix the student debt crisis and tackle medical debt, knowing how many families live in fear because they are one illness away from bankruptcy.
• Fight for affordable child care and revive the child tax credit.
• Stand up for workers’ rights, including the freedom to organize and bargain.

These policies are pro-family and pro-worker, as was Harris’ choice of an educator and AFT member as her running mate.

So it’s no surprise that JD Vance attacked me—and by extention, every teacher, including nuns, who have not given birth to children. My family and I can handle the attacks, but it’s beyond the pale to demean families that don’t fit in Vance’s narrow view—stepparents, adoptive parents and so on. And to attack teachers who are right now working hard to welcome parents and their children into safe, welcoming and engaging classrooms as this school year begins—that speaks volumes about Vance’s character and priorities.

The choice in this election couldn’t be clearer.

The AFT is part of the labor activism sweeping the nation. We’re growing, and we’re the largest we’ve ever been. While more work remains, inflation is cooling, the Biden-Harris administration has created more jobs than any other in history, and America’s economy is the strongest in the world—powered by America’s workers.

We know that progress is possible but not guaranteed. That’s why we keep marching.

This November, we need to be all in. All of us. None of us can do this alone.

Here are three things you can do today:

1. Check your voter registration status. Even if you think you’re registered, check today.
2. AFT members can sign up to volunteer. We’ll have opportunities for AFT members to canvass, phone-bank, text-bank, and attend our bus tour rallies and town halls.
3. Sign up to be in our videos pushing back on JD Vance’s attacks on families and teachers.

Thank you, and keep marching.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President