Largest Public Sector Labor Unions Unite to Get Out the Vote in Battleground States
SEIU, NEA, AFT and AFSCME launch joint volunteer canvassing effort two weeks before Presidential election
WASHINGTON, DC — The presidents of the nation's largest public service labor unions — April Verrett of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Becky Pringle of the National Education Association (NEA), Randi Weingarten of the AFT, and Lee Saunders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) — today announced a coordinated, multi-state voter outreach initiative to turn out voters in support of Harris-Walz in key battleground states. This massive effort, launching October 19 in Detroit, underscores the impact working people will have in determining the outcome of the 2024 election.
Following the October 19 launch, union leaders will host a series of rallies and statewide canvasses across targeted states including two rallies featuring all four union presidents in Atlanta on October 27, and Philadelphia on November 2. Following these rallies, thousands of union member volunteers from all four organizations will engage in an intensive door-to-door canvassing campaign, connecting with potential voters on issues critical to working families.
This joint action represents a significant escalation of labor's political engagement, with the unions pooling resources and mobilizing their combined membership of several million workers and includes people of all backgrounds working across the public service – as nurses, child care providers, sanitation workers, first responders, teachers, education support professionals and higher education workers, among others.
The joint campaign aims to mobilize an unprecedented number of workers across battleground states.
"In an election this close, it's all going to come down to turnout," said April Verrett, President of SEIU. "That's why our get-out-the-vote efforts are going to make the difference. We're going to have our members and leaders on the ground in every battleground state from now until Election Day, ensuring every voice is heard and every vote is counted."
“Union members are mobilizing with a new level of energy, because we know what’s at stake,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have a vision for working people that will move us forward, lower rising costs and protect our freedoms. Meanwhile, the other side wants to take away our voice on the job. That’s the choice before working people, and that’s why we’re going to make sure that we mobilize our communities to get out the vote.”
“The 3-million strong National Education Association is proud to partner with our union siblings to ensure working families know there is only one pro-union, pro-public education ticket: the Harris-Walz ticket,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “Educators and union members across the country are fired up to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the leaders we need to deliver a new way forward for America. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are tireless champions for students and educators, who will work to support strong public schools, expand school-based mental health services, ensure no student is hungry, and create good union jobs for middle class families. As some of the most trusted people in every community, NEA members are knocking on doors, making phone calls, and talking to their neighbors and friends about voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, along with other pro-public education champions up and down the ballot.”
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in the promise of America and will spend their time solving problems, not sowing fear, so every American can partake in that promise,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “As Donald Trump and JD Vance plan to cut taxes for billionaires, raise the retirement age and gut Medicare, Harris and Walz will crack down on price gouging, make it easier to afford a home, extend Medicare to help the Sandwich Generation and fight for public education. But it’s not just what we can gain, it’s also what we will lose with Trump and Vance: our democracy, our freedoms, our public schools, our right to have a union, a vote and a voice. Extending the ladder of opportunity or destroying it. Union members get this. And that’s why we will fight every hour of every day for the next fortnight to get out the vote to elect candidates who proudly stand for freedom, democracy and opportunity. Remember the chaos, lies and division of the Trump era? That was our dark past and we can’t let it be our future. Harris and Walz will turn the page.”
Each union has invested significantly in GOTV programs and media outreach, across TV and streaming platforms to support the Harris-Walz ticket and worker-friendly candidates in House, Senate, gubernatorial, and other down-ballot races.
The impact of union households on elections in key battleground states cannot be overstated. In 2020, 21% of votes cast in Michigan were from union households, representing approximately one-fifth of the electorate. The same is true for Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where union households accounted for 18% and 13% of votes cast, respectively.
Unions are currently enjoying a level of popularity not seen since the 1960s. This resurgence is rooted in workers' belief in the power of collective action to transform the economy into one that works for all. As the election approaches, it's crucial for voters to hear from real people about the issues that matter most to working families.
By joining forces, these unions are not just amplifying their individual voices but creating a unified front to advocate for the rights and well-being of millions of workers across the nation.