On August 21 in Milwaukee, workers from around the country gathered in person (and online) to rally for Unions for All.

They joined SEIU President Mary Kay Henry as she announced the pillars of the Unions for All platform, laying out what our country’s next President must do to improve the lives of millions of families who are struggling to get by.

It’s not enough for candidates to just join us on the picket line. This election season, we demand that they fight alongside us to make our economy work for us by fighting for Unions for All.

After her speech, Mary Kay was joined by several workers onstage for a roundtable discussion. Although they came from different industries and have different skills, they all agreed that the current system is broken.

Some spoke about the struggle of not being able to support their children and families. Some talked about difficulties with healthcare and medical costs. From fast food workers to airport workers and adjunct professors, the message was the same — we need candidates to put Unions for All at the center of any economic policy.

The rich and powerful want us to think we have to pick and choose our priorities — healthcare versus immigration rights, #BlackLivesMatter vs raising the minimum wage, etc. — but this simply isn’t true.

Nationwide, the collective power of the Fight for $15 movement has already put billions of dollars in workers’ pockets. If we can guarantee every worker a real opportunity to form a union, we get closer to an economy and democracy that works for everyone.

Unions for All means doing four things:

  1. Bring employers, workers and government together at industry-wide bargaining tables to negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions.
  2. Establish the National Labor Relations Act as the floor rather than the ceiling for laws governing worker organizing, allowing states and cities to empower workers to join together in a union beyond the limits of federal law.
  3. Ensure that every public dollar is used to create good, union jobs and that every federal worker and contractor makes at least $15 an hour and has the opportunity to join a union.
  4. Put good union jobs at the center of any major economic proposal, such as Healthcare for All or the Green New Deal.

In fact, the politicians have already shown that they are hearing our message:

They know that it isn’t candidates who win elections — it’s working people.

Let’s come together and change this country once and for all, for us all. Make our movement even stronger and sign our petition to 2020 candidates today!