As the rising tide of neo-fascist corporatism gradually erodes the foundations of democracy and the Trump administration escalates its attacks on the working class, the United States faces a critical moment in its history. Under this increasingly corrupt, violent, and authoritarian federal government, we have seen the unprecedented consolidation of wealth and political power in our country. Now there is a very real chance that Trump and his cohorts will attempt to interfere with or sabotage the midterm elections in November.
Election interference could involve a range of scenarios, including (but not limited to): making it more difficult for people to vote by mail, voter purges, mass disinformation campaigns, stationing armed federal agents at polling places, voter intimidation, illegal seizure of ballots and election materials, and outright refusal to certify election results (or altogether altering them). Organized labor needs to be prepared to address any attempts to disrupt the midterm elections.
Members of Local 1186, representing Willy Street Co-op in Madison, WI, have been strategically aligning resources and strengthening connections with other labor and community organizations as part of a collective effort to prepare for these potential threats to democracy. We have been working to circulate and collect pledge cards for labor rights, with escalating actions to which the signer can commit. These actions range from simply voting for pro-labor candidates and phone banking to being a constitutional observer and participating in a national economic blackout in the event that the elections are compromised. The cards were created in conjunction with the South Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO (SCFL) and first distributed at the city's annual Labor Fest celebration on Labor Day, where Willy Street Co-op workers, including stewards Adele Horton and Delta Adamson and Vice President Michele McCoy, collected pledges from nearly 100 individuals. In addition to recruiting volunteers for election defense activities and voter protection work, the cards can function as a tool to build conversations around and increase member engagement.
Last month, the Western Regional Council passed a resolution on election protection that was introduced by former president of Local 1186 (and current interim Western Regional President) Michael Tomaloff. The delegates resolved that election protection "is not only necessary to protect what exists of true democracy in our government, but is also an opportunity to bring working people together to build an even stronger force for change in our country and the world." Members of Local 1186 have attended labor coalition meetings to come up with a coordinated plan of action and participated in election defense training. Treasurer Beth White and Steward Eva Jach, along with UE International Representative Sean Fulkerson and myself, recently attended a virtual event co-sponsored by Labor for Democracy, Standing for Democracy, and May Day Strong called "Union Training to Defend Our Votes and Elections," which focused on how to facilitate scenario planning in a union to address anticipated national threats at the local level.
Regardless of what happens in November, engaging in election defense activities can flex the organizing muscles of a local, build solidarity within the community, and provide educational tools for future struggles. Although voting and partisan politics may not be the most effective pathways to significant social or economic change for American workers, the right to maintain open, free, and fair elections in the United States must be safeguarded. As workers, we all have collective power within our communities. And as members of a militant, progressive labor union, we are uniquely positioned to mobilize our fellow workers for direct action.