A message from The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Angela Ferritto regarding the 2022 Midterm Election

A message from The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Angela Ferritto regarding the 2022 Midterm Election.

When union members, women and young people vote, this is what happens – principled candidates focused on strengthening public education, health care, job security, and rights of working people win. Why? Because the priorities of the candidates endorsed by the PA AFL CIO reflect the values of the people who are the backbone of our state. Pennsylvania’s union families have been the bedrock of powerful political movements since the first days of organizing around the rights of working people – particularly women and children – and as is the case now, these are issues that our families care about.

 This year’s AFL-CIO program was unlike any in history. Since last night, 98 of PA AFL-CIO endorsed candidates have been elected to public office — and we are still waiting on more as votes are still being counted. The victories across Pennsylvania were fueled by the grassroots campaign of tens of thousands of union volunteers who knocked doors and made worksite visits. Those conversations led working people to turn out and vote in waves, defying the odds and denying political extremists the power to further erode our freedoms. And those conversations don’t end today; we will keep fighting to build worker power in every corner of the Commonwealth. 

At a time when big corporations and the wealthiest among us are doing better than ever, working families are facing steep challenges to just make ends meet. Those challenges will only be exacerbated if the hard-earned protections and rights workers have won over generations are not preserved through the perseverance and unwavering commitment of people like Governor-elect Josh Shapiro and Senator-elect John Fetterman. 

Soon, the 2022 election will be in the rearview mirror, but we are just getting started. Pennsylvania’s working people aren’t heading home. The foundation that unions built through our new 365-day-a-year political organizing campaign will engage voters every day through 2024 – we’re staying in the fight to rebuild our economy and protect the rights of all working people until the promise of equity and prosperity for all is returned to the people. #PowerToThePeople