President’s Message, Summer 2016

Your Future Is On The Line!

D. Michael Langford, UWUA National President
D. Michael Langford
UWUA National President

On November 8, Americans will vote to decide who will be the next president of the United States. This will be one of the most important elections in our nation’s history.

Why? It is likely the next president will appoint up to four Supreme Court justices. This will determine the tenor of the court decisions in America for the next generation or two.

Only one candidate is pro-labor

We all know the court can make decisions that either support working families or go against us.

Citizens United, which gave corporations the same first amendment rights as persons, is a perfect example. That one decision has jeopardized democracy by putting our country at the mercy of those who can pay the most to get what they want from the people who govern us.

Hillary Clinton has called Citizens United a “disaster for democracy” and has promised that her Supreme Court nominations will oppose it.

When it comes to workers’ rights, Citizens United has allowed state governments to be taken over by politicians who do the bidding of their corporate sponsors.

When it comes to workers’ rights, Citizens United has allowed state governments to be taken over by politicians who do the bidding of their corporate sponsors.

As a result, more states are passing Right-to-Work for less legislation and the Supreme Court will eventually decide whether or not it becomes the law of the land.

Trump supports a national Right-to-Work for less law. Clinton opposes it.

There are many other things at stake in this election.

The bottom line is: one candidate is pro labor – one candidate is anti-labor. 

Hillary Clinton’s record is overwhelmingly favorable to working families and their unions. It’s time we stand up and vote for her.

Donald Trump’s record is one of taking advantage of working people. He has never done anything except exploit them for his own personal gain.

Hillary has reached out to the union to get our input on investing in the physical and workforce infrastructure to rebuild our nation’s electric, gas, water, wastewater, and nuclear industries.

We have heard nothing from Trump.

Under the presidency of Barack Obama, we successfully moved our agenda forward in Washington, D.C. and in state houses.

We have laid the groundwork and achieved many things: protections for members working with coal, investment in carbon sequestration to keep coal viable, and training hundreds of veterans through our Utility Workers Military Assistance Program. We are also influencing employer actions by confronting them, when appropriate, and/or convincing them of the benefits of cooperation.

Hillary supports our agenda

Our union’s agenda is clear. As presented at our Constitutional Convention last year, we need to Reclaim America from corporations and their elected representatives to make it work for working people. We need to Retrain the workforce to prepare our nation for the future. We need to Repower the country to make it safe and secure, and to take advantage of new technologies coming online. And, we must Repair America by investing in infrastructure, both physical and human.

…we need to Reclaim America from corporations and their elected representatives to make it work for working people.

Many leaders in government and industry have embraced our agenda. We are well positioned to build on our successes if we elect Hillary as president.

All of our successes are threatened if Trump wins.

I say, “Don’t be conned by a con man.”

For our children, our grandchildren, and our nation’s future, vote Hillary Clinton for President