Throughout the United States, union members are being celebrated for elevating President-elect Joe Biden to victory.
Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss what the Biden win means for union members, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and what it means to protect the vote.
Biden set to benefit union members
Mathews said the Biden election win is a massive win for union members. Biden has been one of the most pro-union presidential candidates in decades, running on a massive infrastructure plan that includes union training, Project Labor Agreements and more. He added that this plan will include expanding broadband to rural America, an issue highlighted by distance learning and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Changes at the NLRB
Mathews reminisced on all of the times that President Trump acted as though he was a president of the working class. He said Biden will be a true president of working Americans.
The anti-worker Trump agenda is easily exposed when looking at the makeup of the NLRB. He has stacked it with three corporate lawyers who almost always side with employers instead of workers, while leaving the seat reserved for a Democrat unfilled.
Protect the Vote
Mathews then spoke about various election results and what the CWA did to try and expand voting during COVID-19.
He said the President seems to only have problems with election results in states he lost and has no problems with the results in any of the down ballot results that saw Republicans maintain the Senate and gain seats in the House.
The CWA launched initiatives in a number of states to make voting safer and easier for many citizens. This included the suggestion of using large stadiums as polling locations and placing more ballot drop boxes throughout the country, all of which were shot down by Republicans.
In their own house, the CWA encouraged members to vote by mail. This message was echoed throughout the union community, even as the president attempted to make the United States Postal Service seem incapable of handling the influx of election mail.
He concluded by saying that the CWA will push a Biden administration to represent the working people who have been ignored for the past four years.