Seventy three years ago in the December 1953 Overture, our Local 47 leadership urged members to take political action with the following list of “Ten Ways to Join Political Fight”.
In this same spirit, your Local 47 leadership has and will continue to support candidates who are pro-worker and respect the rights of labor. We urge you to join the fight by supporting and strengthening your union. As the mid-term elections draw closer, there will be opportunities for you to participate in “get out the vote” initiatives through the LA County Federation of Labor. Stay informed by reading The International Musician, The Overture and our bi-weekly email blasts, The 47 Beat.
Voter turnout is a critical factor determining a candidate’s success at the polls. President Trump’s aggressive campaign to chip away at the fundamental right to vote for all Americans continues to move forward with restrictions on mail balloting.
Here’s how AFL-CIO President Liz Schuller responded to Trump’s July 16th national address on elections:
“Tonight, President Trump pushed years-old, thoroughly debunked, alarmingly dangerous conspiracy theories in an effort to undermine our elections and deny Americans their fundamental freedoms. The purpose is clear: divide, scare and intimidate working people to stop the election of public officials who will hold the rich and powerful accountable for their greed. It’s also a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that everything is too expensive, working people are struggling, and his administration’s policies are only making it worse.
The labor movement rejects any attempt by the President of the United States or anyone else to weaken our democracy. We demand a government where elected leaders answer to working people—not billionaires, corporate CEOs or special interests. Every day until November, the AFL-CIO and our affiliated unions are organizing and mobilizing, in our communities and to the ballot box, to turn out union voters and elect pro-worker candidates. We’re using our boots on the ground in every corner of this nation to run an extensive election protection program that ensures every vote is counted and every voice is heard. And we are standing up for one another—with the strength and solidarity of the workers who built this country—to defend the fundamental freedoms of all working people.”
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the July 27th General Membership meeting. In my report, I shared positive updates from our financial report covering the first half of the year. Even with rising costs across all expense categories, our administration’s strategic cost-saving measures and disciplined budgeting have successfully kept us operating in the black through June 30th. Furthermore, we have managed to avoid tapping into our investments funds for daily operational expenses, a welcome change from previous years. Still, stock market volatilities reflecting investors’ concerns about the war, tariffs and instability in the White House have affected our portfolio.
I made two requests of those in attendance at the July 27th meeting and I will repeat them here.
- Opt in to Local 47 emails and “The Overture”. We send information on a regular basis and if you choose not to receive them you are missing out.
- Follow Local 47 on our social media, Instagram and Facebook. We post and share important information several times a week.
Your Local 47 Executive Board meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. All members in good standing are welcome as observers. If you wish to attend and/or address the Board, please contact the Office of the Secretary/Treasurer by phone at 323-993-3159, or email at st_sec@afm47.org.
I leave you with the message from 1953 and urge you to answer the upcoming call to mobilize efforts for the midterm elections this November.
“Do all that you can to strengthen your local union, and the international, in their forceful and just fight against political labor-baiters.”
In unity,
Gail Kruvand
Secretary-Treasurer