Election Alert!!!
October 8, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Please read the links and the text below. General President Christensen would like you to distribute this to all IUEC members.
Trump Judge Sides With Employer Arguing NLRB Is Unconstitutional | HuffPost Latest News
Trump’s ‘Hated To Give Overtime’ Admission Prompts Reminder Of Project 2025 | HuffPost Latest News<
On overtime pay, Trump slips up by accidentally telling the truth | msnbc.com
Please take a look at the articles in the three links above. These stories, along with other evidence, prove that Trump has already essentially launched Project 2025 through the judges he appointed and the Executive Orders he made in office. We can expect that he will surely take his agenda even farther if elected this November. Furthermore, these articles unveil Trump’s real plans for overtime pay. No, he won’t be taxing overtime pay, per his campaign promise, because he prefers to eliminate, or alter at best, overtime pay for deserving workers! His own words, which you can read in the articles above, leave no uncertainty about this. Again, this is another piece of the Project 2025 roadmap.
Trump has nominated Supreme Court justices who have severely impacted workers’ rights, workers’ safety and health, and organized labor via the Janus v. AFSCME District Council 31, Epic Systems v. Lewis, the National Federation of Independent Business v. OSHA, and Glacier Northwest v. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In all of these cases, the deciding votes were cast by anti-union Trump nominees to the Supreme Court. These decisions are in line with the Project 2025 playbook. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that says a President must appoint anti-union, anti-worker judges. President Trump made a choice to do so and they have already given us, and will continue to give us, bad decisions that will last a lifetime.
A look at former President Trump’s executive orders also reveals a strong anti-worker, anti-union personality that is also totally in line with Project 2025. Executive Orders 13836, 13837 and 13839 all weaken workers’ rights and bargaining strength in the public sector. Trump’s Executive Order on Schedule F federal employees strips workers of due process and legal rights, opens the door to political cronyism, and reduces union ranks by tens of thousands (potentially hundreds of thousands). There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in place that says a President must write Executive Orders that harm the AFL-CIO and workers’ collective strength. President Trump chose to do so.
By contrast, the Biden/Harris Administration rescinded all of these anti-union, anti-worker executive orders immediately. As the head of the White House Taskforce on Worker Empowerment and Organizing, Vice President Harris has worked with unions, including the IUEC, to implement in every signature piece of legislation the strongest labor standards we have ever seen in all. Vice President Harris worked with us on the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that there would be labor standards written into the tax code. Unions have been fighting for this for decades and the most pro-union administration in our lifetime—the Biden-Harris Administration—made this a reality.
Please click on the link below to see what labor unions can expect if Project 2025 makes its way to the White House. It is a half hour presentation, but is well worth your time.
NYSBCTC-Project2025-Convention-Edit-2.mp4 | Dropbox
To find labor-friendly Representatives and Senators, please refer to the AFL-CIO scorecard at
Your state and local Central Labor Body and Building Trades may have some endorsements in your local races.
Michael Halpin
Political Action Director
International Union of Elevator Constructors
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This November, All Eyes on Illinois
By Michael Halpin
If you are registered to vote in the Prairie State, please read the article below before heading to the polls on Tuesday, November 8.
Labor and industry alike are keeping a close eye on next week’s midterm elections – especially in Illinois where the ballot headliner will be the Workers’ Rights Amendment.
International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) members know that workers’ rights, particularly in recent years, have come under fire in some states. So-called right-to-work laws have plagued more than two dozen states – states like Alabama and Mississippi, which happen to rank as two of the nation’s poorest states.
In fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute, both union and nonunion workers in right-to-work states have lower wages and fewer benefits, on average, than comparable workers in other states.
Thankfully, Illinois workers currently enjoy a labor friendly state government.
That said, it would be nothing short of naïve to bank on the state forever remaining a pro-union stronghold. Anti-worker legislatures or governors could one day force their way in the driver’s seat in Illinois – meaning the state’s workers could ultimately fall victim to a variety of attacks, including destructive right-to-work laws.
As Illinoisans prepare to vote in just a few short days, keep this in mind:
Illinois voters, YOU will decide whether to codify Amendment 1, the Workers’ Rights Amendment, as part of the state constitution. YOU have the power to see that the Workers’ Rights Amendment is passed.
Simply put, a vote in support of the Workers’ Rights Amendment would protect current and future workers and their right to bargain collectively.
The passage of the Workers’ Rights Amendment would help ensure the union way of life remains alive and well in Illinois for generations to come. Should the political landscape in Illinois ever experience an unanticipated shift to the right, workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively would be left unscathed.
Amending the Illinois Constitution to empower workers by guaranteeing the right to bargain collectively is as simple as voting YES. The pro-worker, pro-union ballot measure is one of the first of its kind – passing it would be a game-changer for current and future workers.
What’s more, passing the Workers’ Rights Amendment in Illinois could encourage other states to follow suit – effectively blazing a trail in the labor movement coast to coast. The hyper-partisan climate in which we presently live has seen a myriad of attacks on working people and unionism.
It is time for workers to fight back – supporting the pro-worker ballot measure will without a doubt spark meaningful momentum in Illinois and beyond.
Large corporations and their government allies work tirelessly to see that laws and regulations fatten their own pockets – while the needs of working people and working families fall on deaf ears.
This is unacceptable. It is time for workers to unite and reject the status quo.
With public support of unions at the highest level since 1965, codifying fundamental workers’ rights in the Illinois Constitution would be a substantial win and serve as yet another weapon in our arsenal.
Just days ago, a spokesperson from a conservative think tank that opposes the Workers’ Rights Amendment was quoted in an Associated Press piece:
“If the union wins here, this could be the future of the labor movement.”
For once, the opposition got it right. The significance of this amendment cannot be downplayed, and Illinois workers and friends of labor should embrace this pro-worker initiative by voting YES for workers’ rights on November 8.
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IUEC members can learn more about the Workers’ Rights Amendment (and commit to voting “yes”) by visiting the following website: https://workersrights.com
National Elevator Constructors Political Action Committee
The IUEC recognizes that political involvement is essential to our efforts to protect our members, promote our work and elevate the Labor Movement. Workers’ voices need to be heard and as the guardian of workers’ rights, it is the job of our International Union to fight on our members’ behalf in the halls of government. To that end, the IUEC created the National Elevator Industry Political Action Committee (NECPAC) to provide the necessary funding to give our union a seat at the table with our elected leaders.
Since it is prohibited on the Federal level and on many state levels to use members’ dues to make political contributions, the NECPAC is an effective vehicle to collect voluntary political donations from our members who wish to further support the IUEC’s political efforts. The NECPAC funds are used to support the candidacy of labor-friendly politicians, regardless of party affiliation; political campaigns that are in support of or in opposition to legislation that could have an impact on labor; or other political efforts that require labor’s attention. The funds collected through the NECPAC are used on the federal, state and local levels at the request of our union leadership and local unions.
To arrange for a contribution to be made to a candidate or cause, or to make a one-time contribution to the NECPAC, please ask your Local Union to contact the NECPAC at 410-953-6150 or via email at IUEChdq@iuec.org.
NECPAC Voluntary Checkoff
Members wishing to make regular contributions to our NECPAC may now do so through their paycheck via voluntary check-off, which was recently negotiated with our employers at our last contract negotiations.
Employees may fill out a voluntary check-off authorization card indicating a specific amount to be deducted from his or her paycheck for each hour work to be donated to the NECPAC. The employers then submit the money deducted from their employees’ paychecks, along with a complete list of names of those who have donated and the amount they have agreed to, to the IUEC by the 15th day of each month. An employee may cancel their voluntary check-off at any time by submitting a request in writing to the union and the employer. The deduction will be stopped no later than 21 days from the close of the next payroll period.
To make a voluntary NECPAC check-off contribution, please fill out this form and submit it to your employer.