Union voters are split between Harris at 50% and Trump at 43%, with 6% supporting third-party candidates, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. (Platoo Studio/Adobe Stock)
Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Connection
Labor unions in the battleground state of Pennsylvania said they could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this year’s election.
In 2023, the state had 749,000 union members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Anthony Ferriera, sergeant at arms and legislative political coordinator for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1647, is among those mobilizing. He said he is walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and talking with voters in an effort to motivate them to go to the polls.
“This year, I’m making phone calls,” Ferriera explained. “And anywhere that any of the congressionals or senators or anybody is, we’re at the rallies. We were at the rally for Kamala in Wilkes Barre, probably a month ago. We have people on our team that were driving folks that come into the area last Saturday to knock on doors.”
Ferriera pointed out their response has been positive, even when some do not support their candidates. Pennsylvania’s early voting option is available until Oct. 29, the last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot for the Nov. 5 general election.
Kevin Cooper, political director for the union, said the President and Congress have a direct effect on their livelihoods. He added the union is diverse not only in terms of geography and demographics, but its members work in agencies from Social Security and Veterans Affairs, to the Border Patrol and Environmental Protection Agency. Cooper stressed he is encouraging everyone to vote, particularly his fellow union members.
“In the 2016 cycle, for example, we saw all these states that were determined by thousands of votes; not millions but certain battleground states where thousands of votes determined the result,” Cooper pointed out. “You step back and you see that there’s, you know, over 14 million union members nationwide. Unions can be the deciding factor in a lot of these places.”
Cooper suggested people review the Heritage Foundation’s conservative playbook known as Project 2025, as it includes plans to dismantle workers’ rights to organize.