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    • Sen. Bernie Sanders mobilizes union support for Harris in Erie
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    Sen. Bernie Sanders mobilizes union support for Harris in Erie

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Workers' rights are at stake.

    Your voices can make a difference.

    That was the message that ran through Sen. Bernie Sanders' visit to Erie on Saturday. The day began with Sanders calling on union members to mobilize and ended with a rally at Erie High School in support of Vice President Kamala Harris' pro-worker agenda.

    “The choice is pretty clear for working people,” Sanders told rally participants. “We fight for working families.”

    Vermont's Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, joined union leaders Saturday morning to lay out the stakes for workers in the Nov. 5 election, warning that a second term for former President Donald Trump would effectively favor workers' rights of would abolish the ultra-rich.

    “The fight is whether the government represents the billionaire class or the working class,” Sanders told nearly 100 union members from across the region gathered at the United Steelworkers Hall in downtown Erie.

    Sanders assured union members that Harris would be an ally, as evidenced by her support of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO Act), which the AFL-CIO called “the most significant worker empowerment legislation since the Great Depression.”

    “If you are out there in Pennsylvania or elsewhere and understand that it is important to join a union so that you can participate in collective bargaining and receive fair wages and benefits, you understand that Kamala Harris believes strongly that we must stand the PRO Act,” Sanders said.

    Sanders said that in addition to vetoing the PRO Act, Trump would continue to oppose legislation that would help working families, including expanding overtime; an increase in the minimum wage; universal health care and expanded access to abortion.

    Sanders also criticized Trump's deference to the super-rich, namely tech billionaire Elon Musk, who supports Trump and donated millions of dollars to a political action committee supporting his candidacy.

    “Democracy means having a voice. I get a vote. The majority wins.' This is American democracy. “It’s not Elon Musk and other billionaires who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars electing candidates to protect the interests of the rich,” Sanders said.

    Also Saturday: In return for Erie County, vice presidential candidate Vance is urging Trump voters to cast their ballots early

    Union activists are knocking on doors for Harris

    Sanders was joined by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Angela Ferrito. Their joint appearance sparked a union campaign in which union members banded together in small groups and knocked on the doors of union members' households in and around the city.

    The action marked an 11th effort by the AFL-CIO to mobilize union members and working-class voters throughout the critical lead district, which has voted for the winner of the presidential election in every election since 2008.

    Ferrito said union members will continue to canvass in Erie through Election Day.

    “We know we win when union members talk to union members,” she said. “We know what it means to stand together. And that's why we have to be the ones having these conversations. This election is about protecting everything we fought for.”

    Redmond added that he has never seen a greater threat to the labor movement than Trump and Project 2025, the detailed plan that calls for radical changes to the federal government, such as overhauling overtime protections that would give employers options for overtime pay to workers to avoid.

    Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, a project of the Heritage Foundation.

    Unions in attendance included members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 of Pennsylvania; the Service Employees International Union 1199 of Buffalo; and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 103 of Boston.

    “We are brothers and sisters – when we are needed, we come. They are calling us, we are here,” said Lisa Marie Scales, a Boston resident and member of IBEW 103.

    “Being in a union, we fought for everything we have,” added Renee Leona Dozier, also of IBEW 103. “We know Erie has a big impact on the country. That's why we're here just as a reminder – brother to brother, sister to sister – we're here fighting for our lives, for our wallets, for our bodies, it's huge.”

    Soon: Former President Bill Clinton will campaign for Harris at the Erie campaign rally

    Sanders touts Biden-Harris record for working people

    At Erie High School, Sanders praised the pro-worker record of President Joe Biden and Harris and listed several administration accomplishments, including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Sanders also noted the administration's successes in reducing prescription drug costs and relieving student debt for millions of Americans.

    “Anyone who tells you that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t have a strong record for the working class of this country is not telling you the truth,” Sanders told a crowd of about 450 people.

    Sanders continued to criticize the extent of wealth inequality in the country, arguing that it will only get worse under Trump, who benefits from a “corrupt campaign finance system” that benefits billionaires like Musk.

    “We need to create an economy and a government that works for all of us, not just the Elon Musks of the world,” he said. “The vast majority of people want a government that works for them, not just a few.”

    (This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy.)

    AJ Rao can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

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    Kathleen William
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