Since the 2018 midterm elections, the “Green New Deal” — a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change that would create millions of new jobs — has gained both visibility and popularity, as well as a certain amount of controversy.
When Bernie Sanders made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 14, all three of the local speakers on his program were from labor, and the last of them was from UE. Retired UE NEWS Editor Al Hart warmed up the crowd by reminding them that Sanders doesn’t just talk about being a supporter of labor, he has a long history of supporting UE and other union members.
On Wednesday, April 10th, longtime UE ally Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2019. The bill complements the Medicare for All Act of 2019 introduced by Representative Pramila Jayapal in the House of Representatives in February. “The American people want, and we are going to deliver, a Medicare for All, single-payer system,” said Sanders, echoing long-held UE policy.
On February 27, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introduced H.R. 1384, the Medicare for All Act. Jayapal introduced the bill with over 100 original co-sponsors and the “unprecedented support” of many major unions, who have finally joined UE’s longstanding support of a Medicare for All single-payer healthcare system.
The U.S. has no legitimate claim to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries, to take sides in internal political disputes, or to undermine governments elected by the people. We have seen the disastrous consequences of recent U.S. interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and, through its alliance with Saudi Arabia, in Yemen. U.S. intervention in Venezuela can only bring further hardship and suffering, as followed U.S. support for the 2009 coup in Honduras that overthrew the elected government there and contributed to the stream of asylum-seekers now on our southern border seeking relief from that disaster.
The current federal shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, is an unconscionable attack on federal workers and all who depend on federal government services for safety and sustenance, from airline workers to food stamp recipients. It is also a sign of deeper problems in our economy and society, and the failure of political “leaders” from both parties to address them. Only a working-class movement, rooted in unions willing to stand up and take militant actions for the entire working class, can move us forward.
UE leaders helped two UE-endorsed candidates celebrate their swearing-in on Thursday, January 3. Western Region President Carl Rosen and his wife Josie Yanguas travelled to Washington, DC for the swearing-in reception of Congressman Jesús Chuy García, a longtime UE ally in Chicago. They were joined by retired UE Director of Organization Bob Kingsley and retired UE Political Action Director Chris Townsend. In Western Pennsylvania, Local 610 President Antwon Gibson joined newly-elected State Representative Summer Lee at a celebration in Swissvale.
As they take the reins of the House of Representatives, the corporate Democrats who still retain leadership of their party are proposing a measure called “pay-go” which would make it harder for Congress to address working people’s needs.
Action is needed now: call your Member of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and tell them NO on pay-go!
On November 6, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives by a decisive margin, providing a much-needed check on the anti-worker agenda of the Republican party and opening new possibilities to advance Medicare for All single-payer healthcare and a “Green New Deal” to create jobs while addressing the challenge of climate change. The newly elected Democrats are significantly younger, more female, and more racially diverse than Congress has been in the past, and include the first two Muslim women and the first two Native American women elected to Congress.
On behalf of UE members across the country, we extend our deepest condolences and sympathy for the victims of Saturday’s mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which is believed to be the deadliest violent attack on Jewish people in U.S. history.
This attack was a political attack, motivated by anti-Semitism and white supremacy. The shooter explicitly posted on social media that his desire was to kill Jewish people who provide aid to immigrants.