Oligarchs disgrace Congress with joint address
The following statement can be attributed to Connor Lewis, TNG-CWA 32035, President of Seven Mountains AFL-CIO:
“Working Pennsylvanians got exactly what we expected: out-of-touch, deep pocketed oligarchs taking a victory lap as working families suffer.”
“We stand in solidarity with working families across our nation, across North and Central America, and with our sisters and brothers in the Canadian Labour Congress. Together, we face the real-world consequences of a schoolyard tantrum by modern day robber barons. Workers everywhere share a common dream to work hard and give our children a bright future: a dream under attack by elites born with silver spoons.”
“What we saw was a disgrace. The most powerful men in the world used a joint session of Congress, held in the People’s House, to spew fabrications and lies, pat themselves on the back, and double down on unelected billionaires taking over our government to strip it for parts.”
“Let us be clear: nothing, from tariffs to lies and attacks on social security, was about protecting American industries or workers. Oligarchs stroked their egos on a national stage while workers nervously wonder when the layoff notices will come, and as federal workers — nearly a third of them veterans of our Armed Services who served with honor — file for unemployment."
“Hundreds of thousands of American workers, union and nonunion, Republicans, Democrats, and independents, face job losses and economic devastation because of Trump’s trade war and DOGE’s rampage through the federal government. Farmers are facing renewed uncertainty whether they can continue generations of family work. This is the reality faced by American workers from all walks of life, and we will stand for ourselves, and with them, every single day without question.”
“We need elected representatives to name this what it is — a billionaire takeover — and fight like they realize the stakes for working families. We appreciate the fight shown by some members of Congress standing up for their constituents. Too many, however, dutifully sat in silence as Trump laid out his plan to dismantle social security, alienate close American allies, and line billionaire pockets with working people’s money."
"If politicians won't draw a line here, we can't trust that they ever will. Politicians, Republican and Democrat, that want to cling to their prestige and privileges at the expense of working families must realize that their seats are not theirs by right. Their seats belong to the people, and those seats are held in trust.”
“Enough is enough. We call on Senators Fetterman and McCormick, and Representatives Thompson and Joyce, to demand a true working families agenda, an immediate end to Trump’s trade war, to promise to oppose any and all cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and to ensure that rural communities are protected from Big Tech oligarchs like Elon Musk."
"Your seats in Congress don’t belong to you. They belong to the working people that elected you, and if you won't hold yourself accountable to the people while in office, you can be replaced.”
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Seven Mountains AFL-CIO is the local voice of the national American Federation of Labor and College of Industrial Organizations (“AFL-CIO”) and a Chapter of the Central Pennsylvania Area Labor Federation, representing 16,000 members of union households in Centre, Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Juniata counties.