Honor the working people

Each year, Labor Day signals the end of summer and the approaching school year. But the annual holiday is about so much more than an evening by the pool or grilling in the backyard with friends — it’s about honoring the working people and the labor movement who make this day off possible.

Right now, union organizers across the country are fighting not just for dignity and respect on the job, but to ensure our right to vote — a fundamental cornerstone of our country’s democracy — is protected.

Organizing gives us a chance to have our voices heard — to call out the powerful — at work and at the ballot box. But some politicians and special interests are eroding the right of Americans to vote and have a voice in our elections, and we simply cannot afford to ignore what is unfolding at breakneck speed across this country right now.

Our right to vote gives us the opportunity to elect legislators who will prioritize working families, not corporate billionaires. And contrary to what some may claim, voter suppression laws do nothing to protect democracy or stop the manufactured crisis of voter fraud. Instead, they create voting barriers that harm historically disenfranchised groups, such as women, minorities, seniors and people with disabilities. These laws do nothing to solve real problems.

Workers are fed up, and we’re ready to fight to protect our freedoms, including the right to vote, that are central to America’s promise. On Labor Day, tomorrow and every day forward, we must raise our voices.

— Pedro Ramirez, Bakersfield