Union Endorsement? No Train Smash

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Birds of a feather flock together, especially if they are workers paid by the hour, weekly wages or monthly salary. They are always fighting with owners of the company and the ‘company’ includes City Hall, state or the federal government.

Workers join unions in order to bargain with the employer with one voice. In some jobs, you don’t have a choice, you automatically belong to a union to get benefits previous workers fought for, and won. Therefore, the union is for work-related problems, not voting. During critical elections like the November 5 presidential election in America, the two people running for president, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would love to have as many union endorsements as possible, because of the numbers.

It is the ideal situation for them, but voting for either one of them is not by force. Why? Voting is a private matter therefore, the union leadership cannot say, vote for the person we endorsed. No. The union takes care of your problems on the factory floor, hospital ward or wherever you work. You take care of your future, through voting.

The worker will be alone in the voting booth, not as a union member, but as an American who is voting for three main things, he/she regards as non-negotiable. What the Harris/Walz campaign should fine-tune are those three things, and not worry about not being endorsed by this or that union.

It’s not a train smash. The Harris/Walz campaign should forget about polls. They are roads to nowhere. It should be convincing potential voters about those three things. Union endorsement does not guarantee that all 5 000 workers are going to vote for the person, it endorsed. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz should aim for the bull's eye: the personal.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Blogger Without Borders

 

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