Commentary
Between now and November 3, every day is Election Day

From the Minneapolis Labor Review, September 25, 2020

By Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, President,
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation

Beginning September 18, workers all across Minnesota began submitting their mail-in ballots and voting early for the November 3 General Election. A record number of people are expected to vote by mail or vote early in-person. In a very real way. every day leading up to November 3 is now Election Day.

Each election year, as we work to motivate volunteers and voters, it is common for organizers to say, “this is the most important election ever.”

While every election has significant consequences, nothing has prepared us for a year like 2020. The weight of that statement, “this is the most important election ever,” is heavy indeed his year.

The pandemic has shown that public health and workplace safety are an afterthought for our leaders and our employers.

With this election, we have the opportunity to enter into a new era, an era where basic safety standards are a minimum, not something we have to beg for. An era where our lives are more important than bottom lines.

Black workers and workers of color in our communities are bearing the heaviest load. They are serving on the front lines of this pandemic disproportionately and experiencing the worst of the outcomes. History will point to this crisis as a very troubling time in our country’s existence.

While an election alone will not fix all of the disparities exposed by the pandemic, the election is an important part of changing our current trajectory.

As you fill out your ballot, think about your friends and family who will be greatly impacted by the decisions that our elected leaders will make.

We are the ones responsible to overcome our disparities by joining together in cross-racial solidarity to change our workplaces. And we need elected leaders that will inspire this action, not hinder it. 

As you fill out your mail-in ballot, think about your friends and family who are greatly impacted by the decisions that our elected leaders will make in the coming years. Think about the nurse, reusing their mask for the third time this week. Think about the baristas and servers who are bravely standing up for a voice in the workplace. Think about the educator who is Zooming a room full of kindergartners. Think about the postal worker delivering your ballot to your county elections office.

As union members, we all have the responsibility to share the message about the importance of this election in our workplaces and in our neighborhoods all across the state. Please do. And please share our list of AFL-CIO endorsed candidates.

Encourage everyone to think about the people impacted by the outcome of this election — and encourage them to vote by mail.

And, even better, sign up to phonebank virtually with us from the comfort of your own home!

To join the MRLF’s virtual phonebanks, send an e-mail to Joanna DeLaune at joanna@minneapolisunions.org.

Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou was re-elected December 11, 2019 to a second four-year term as president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.

Contact MRLF president Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou at 612-321-5670 or chelsie@minneapolisunions.org.