U.S. Midterm Elections: A Chance to Stop the Bleeding
It’s been a tough time for workers the past 18 months. Many on the federal side have been laid off. Tariffs and foreign wars have driven gas and grocery prices through the roof, and money is tight. People are being rounded up on the streets based on the color of their skin, and some have tragically been murdered. Anti-labor bills are passing on a regular basis.
Critical Funding
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has stopped approving capital grants for large infrastructure projects, delaying the building or expansion of major bus and rail lines across the country. And as Congress considers the next surface transportation bill, the Department of
Transportation is proposing to block all guaranteed funding for public transit by eliminating the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund and advance appropriations, which would jeopardize more than 85% of Federal public transit investment. If enacted, most transit jobs in the U.S. would likely be lost, resulting in mass layoffs nationwide.
Checks and Balances
How do we stop this from happening?
It’s all about checks and balances. Currently, Republicans have the trifecta in Washington, D.C., with control of the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Senate. With few exceptions, GOP lawmakers have gone along with the current Administration’s cruel and inhumane transportation and labor proposals, leading to the current mess.
This November, in the midterm elections, Democrats have a real chance to win back control of Congress, where the margins are extremely close. The House currently has 218 Republicans, 212 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 4 vacancies. The Senate has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats.
ATU-COPE is helping House and Senate candidates who will vote to support unions, middle class workers, and public transit. We are also targeting and actively working to defeat elected officials who are trying to take away our collective bargaining rights and gut transit funding. With the generous support of our members who contribute to ATU-COPE, the ATU is now involved in hundreds of federal races, protecting transit/labor-friendly incumbents and providing critical support to promising challengers.
Want to help? Give to COPE by visiting the ATU website. If you already contribute, please consider increasing your monthly donation. Most importantly, VOTE! If you are not happy with the way things are going, vote for new leadership in the House and Senate, and urge your coworkers, family, and friends to do the same. Thankfully, we are still a nation of laws, not kings. It’s time to put in place lawmakers that will stand up and fight to protect our jobs, our families, and our way of life.