Trumka bringing campaign to St. Louis July 9; you’re invited

By CARL GREEN

Correspondent

St. Louis – ­The nation’s highest-ranking union leader, Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, will be in St. Louis on July 9 for a Labor 2016 political rally.

Sign-in for the event will be at 9:30 a.m., followed by the rally at 10:30 a.m. on that Saturday at Sheet Metal Workers Local 36, at 2319 Chouteau Ave.

Union members, leaders, volunteers and activists are invited.

“The stakes are too high in this election for working people to sit out,” the Labor 2016 campaign states. “Join us as we speak up together.”

Trumka is now campaigning to support the AFL-CIO-endorsed Hillary Clinton for president and to explain to union members why apparent Republican nominee Donald Trump is a threat to unions, even though some of his promises may sound enticing.

“If left unattended, the anger and the frustration Trump has tapped into will carry the day,” Trumka told the Washington Post. “But when you give working-class people the facts, I think he falls apart. He’s a house of cards.”

For instance, Trump has stated that workers’ wages are too high and that he fully supports right-to-work.

“When you go in and tell them the truth, you’ve got a yardstick to measure,” Trumka said. “We need to give voters alternatives point for point – wages, taxes, making the rich pay.”

He has described Clinton as a “proven leader who shares our values” and pledged a strong effort by the AFL-CIO to get her elected.

“We will run a sophisticated, targeted ground campaign,” he said. “And with the dire consequences Donald Trump poses for America’s working families, it has to be.”