{"id":12167,"date":"2026-08-03T14:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T21:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afm47.org\/press\/?p=12167"},"modified":"2026-08-03T14:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T21:52:13","slug":"winning-the-fight-through-strength-and-solidarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afm47.org\/press\/winning-the-fight-through-strength-and-solidarity\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning the Fight Through Strength and Solidarity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Seventy three years ago in the December 1953 Overture, our Local 47 leadership urged members to take political action with the following list of \u201cTen Ways to Join Political Fight\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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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 \u201cget out the vote\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how AFL-CIO President Liz Schuller responded to Trump\u2019s July 16th national address on elections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTonight, 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\u2019s also a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that everything is too expensive, working people are struggling, and his administration\u2019s policies are only making it worse.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014not 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\u2019re 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\u2014with the strength and solidarity of the workers who built this country\u2014to defend the fundamental freedoms of all working people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I made two requests of those in attendance at the July 27th meeting and I will repeat them here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n