Down to the Wire

Fri, 11/02/2012 - 9:15am

By President Bruce Hamilton

I am very proud of Local 1700 COPE members across the country who are ensuring that transit workers and all working Americans have a strong political voice on Nov. 6. They have registered new voters, rallied for candidates who support public transportation, and already taken newly registered, older and infirm voters to vote early.

We all know what’s at stake in this election, from the future of collective bargaining and health care to the direction the Supreme Court takes for years to come. It will determine whether our society faces the fact about climate change or continues to deny the obvious for fear of offending the owners of Big Oil and King Coal.

It comes down to this: If Mitt Romney wins, our backs will be against the wall in a do- or-die fight to defend our living standards. But if we re-elect President Barack Obama and a more union-friendly Congress, the political stage will be set for a battle to improve life for working people.

Now, with only days left until next Tuesday’s election, we need to take our organizing to an even higher level. By now, every Local 1700 member should be part of an organized Get Out The Vote (GOTV) drive on Nov. 6. It isn’t enough to just cast your ballot. COPE members should work with their local Central Labor Council and other ATU locals to get people to the polls. Call the union office right away if you are having trouble connecting with local unions. At the very least, make a pledge to take one other person with you when you go to the polls to vote.

Union families gave President Obama the margin of victory in 2008. We are called again to rise to the occasion and make sure that working families lead the way to victory. If all of us voted, there would be no question of the outcome. But voter suppression efforts directed by Republicans combined with fighting spirit suppression fostered by the same forces will keep a sizeable minority of working class voters away from the polls. Don’t succumb to the demoralizing tactics of Big Business and their political allies! All out for the greatest election push of our lifetimes! Forward!