The labor movement has long been involved in the political process but I’ve never seen anything quite like this year’s elections, in terms of motivation and mobilization. By the final weekend before Tuesday’s mid-terms, unions were running canvassing and phonebank operations throughout the DMV to make sure that union members got out to vote.
And despite pouring rain, thousands of local labor activists were out on Election Day, hitting doors, phones and polling sites. All those efforts paid off as labor-endorsed candidates largely won their races. And in a few key races, labor turnout helped close the deal, including Elissa Silverman, who won a second term on the DC City Council, defeating Dionne Reeder, who was backed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Silverman had taken on the mayor on labor-backed issues like paid family leave and increasing the minimum wage. In Montgomery County, labor contributed to a wave of progressive support that swept Marc Elrich in office as county executive. And in Virginia, Democrat – and strong labor supporter -- Jennifer Wexton upset two-term Republican Barbara Comstock, who had been targeted by unions in the 10th Congressional District. In today’s labor history, on this date in 1892, 20,000 workers, Black and White, staged a general strike in New Orleans, demanding union recognition and hour and wage gains. Today’s labor quote is by Harry Hopkins, the head of the Civil Works Administration, created on this date in 1933 to create four million jobs for the Depression-era unemployed. The workers ultimately laid 12 million feet of sewer pipe and built or made substantial improvements to 255,000 miles of roads, 40,000 schools, 3,700 playgrounds, and nearly 1,000 airports, not to mention 250,000 outhouses still badly needed in rural America. Harry Hopkins, who said: “Long after the workers of CWA are dead and gone and these hard times forgotten, their effort will be remembered by permanent useful works in every county of every state. Union City Radio is supported by Union Plus, where union members get special savings on auto insurance. Find out more at unionplus.org.
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