News
The Time is Now
Voters around the country are facing a critical decision. The 2020 primary elections are under way, and they must get out and let the candidates know it is essential that they stick up for working Americans trying hard to support their families.
The Teamsters have been working hard behind the scenes to educate members and retirees about the challenges that must be faced and tackled by those seeking office. We surveyed the membership on their top issues, held trainings to explain to Teamsters how they could question presidential contenders on the campaign trail, and even hosted a December forum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where six candidates spoke to the concerns of the union.
But there is only so much the Teamsters can do on its own. It is up to the membership to take that information and head to polls both during the primary and general elections and vote for candidates that hold firm to those values.
So what should their focus be? A good place to start is on pension reform, expanding collective bargaining rights and ensuring fair trade deals are put into place. More than 22,000 Teamsters told us last year that these were the issues the union should focus on and the union and its members have questioned contenders on their stances.
Since last summer, Teamsters all over the nation have attended events to get candidates on the record about where they stand on these issues. But the union had its biggest success when it hosted the Teamster 2020 Presidential Forum and got in-depth responses by some of the top presidential contenders.
The union has also conducted sit-down interviews with several of those seeking the presidency, and I would encourage members to view those videos at www.teamstersvote.com. There you can see candidates in their own words addressing the issues Teamsters care about.
Getting educated to elect the best government for workers, be it at the local, state or federal level, doesn’t mean much, however, if you don’t vote. Cast a vote in the primary and general elections like your life depends on it!
Because it does.