By Mark Lieberman, Yorktown
Project 2025, Trump, Johnson, and the Conservative movement are all anti-union! Mike Lawler supports all these factions. Mike Lawler is anti Labor!
Let’s take these in reverse order as reversing Labor’s gains over the years is their objective.
The Conservative Party makes it very clear that they want New York State to become a “right to work” state. A deceptive phrase which really means “anti-union.” Additionally, they want to strengthen the Taylor Law, repeal the Triborough Amendment, and do away with collective bargaining. Because of Lawler’s support for fracking and his law and order rhetoric he garners the support of some related unions. But these positions belie the fact that Lawler runs on the Conservative line and supports their platform. Mike Lawler is anti Labor!
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler stated that Mike Johnson has a history of being anti-labor. Johnson’s legislative history has been one of attacking the health, safety, and well-being of America’s working people. Johnson has voted against infrastructure packages that put Americans back to work, opposed legislation that raises wages and helps workers join a union, and rejected bills that would protect America’s workers, including veterans and pregnant workers. Mike Lawler is anti Labor!
According to the AFL-CIO, the IBEW, and Donald Trump himself, Trump has always used nonunion labor whenever possible for his own construction projects. While in office Trump filled the National Labor Relations Board with union-busting lawyers. While in office Trump Defended “right to work” in the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to the AFL-CIO “He (Trump) promised to protect jobs in the steel industry, but failed to follow through. In 2019 alone, more than 16,000 manufacturing workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan lost their jobs.” He promised to “bring back manufacturing jobs and invest $1 trillion to rebuild U.S. infrastructure in Rust Belt states like Wisconsin.” But in his four years in office, Trump failed to advance any infrastructure legislation.
Lawler is a full-throttle Trump MAGA supporter. Mike Lawler is anti Labor!
Project 2025 highlights how they will replace civil servants (calling them “unelected bureaucrats”), with nonunion Trump loyalists.
Lawler will dutifully follow the Project 2025 script just like he supports everything the far right stands for.
Lawler, Johnson, Trump, and Project 2025 are all focused on the strategy of fear and loathing. Anger and resentment should not be reasons to vote.
Lawler is anti-union!
Now let’s move on to Lawler’s own personal decisions against Labor.
Lawler opposed steps to strengthen workers’ compensation, combat wage theft, and expand workers’ benefits. He voted against making it easier for workers with PTSD to receive workers’ compensation, expanded paid family leave, and equal pay wage data disclosure for state contractors.
Lawler voted against requiring employment contracts be written in plain language rather than in legalese and against protections against retaliation for employees or former employees who reported “illegal or dangerous business activities”.
Lawler was endorsed by the New York State Conservative Party, which opposed living wage legislation and expanding paid family leave.
The organization Americans for Prosperity–which seeks a reduction in public sector union benefits and pensions, in conjunction with curtailments of public sector collective bargaining rights, has opposed raising the minimum wage–has rated him 88%. And the National Federation of Independent Business and the National Retail Federation are both pro business and anti labor. They both rate Lawler 100%.
Lawler is anti labor!
So it’s no surprise that the AFL-CIO rates Lawler a lowly 10%.
Lawler may raise social issues that strike a chord with some people, but he strikes out with labor on wages, benefits, rights, and job security. What’s more important?
Mark A. Lieberman, Yorktown Heights, NY
