Sen. Bernie Sanders talks workers' rights in Erie, high stakes for labor in election

Workers’ rights are at stake.

Their votes can make a difference.

That was the message that coursed through Sen. Bernie Sanders’ visit to Erie on Saturday, a day that began with Sanders urging union members to mobilize and concluded with a rally at Erie High School in support of Vice President Kamala Harris' pro-worker agenda.

"The choice is pretty clear for working people," Sanders said to rally-goers. "We are fighting for working families."

Sanders, of Vermont, a self-described democratic socialist, joined union leaders Saturday morning to set the stakes for labor in the Nov. 5 election, warning that a second term of former President Donald Trump would effectively peel away workers’ rights in favor of the ultra-wealthy.

“The struggle is whether the government represents the billionaire class or whether it represents the working class,” Sanders told nearly 100 union workers from across the region who gathered at the United Steelworkers Hall in downtown Erie.

Sanders assured union members that Harris would be an ally, as evidenced by her support of the Protecting the Right to Organize or PRO Act, which the AFL-CIO describes as the “most significant worker empowerment legislation since the Great Depression.”

“If you are out there in Pennsylvania or anyplace else, and you understand that it’s important to join a union, so you can engage in collective bargaining and earn decent wages and have decent benefits, understand that Kamala Harris believes strongly that we need to pass the PRO Act,” Sanders said.

Sanders said Trump would not only veto the PRO Act but continue to oppose legislation that would help working families, including expanded overtime; a minimum wage increase; universal health care and expanded abortion access.

Sanders also criticized Trump’s deference to the ultra-wealthy, namely tech billionaire Elon Musk, who’s endorsed Trump and is throwing millions of dollars to a political action committee supporting his candidacy.

“Democracy is ‘you get a vote. I get a vote. Majority wins.’ That’s American democracy. It is not Elon Musk and other billionaires pouring hundreds of millions of dollars to elect candidates to protect the interests of the rich,” Sanders said.

Also Saturday: In return to Erie County, VP nominee Vance urges Trump voters to cast ballots early

Union canvassers knock on doors for Harris

Sanders was joined by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Angela Ferrito. Together, their appearance kicked off a union canvass, in which union members formed into small groups, and knocked on doors of union member households in and around the city.

The effort marked an eleventh-hour drive by the AFL-CIO to turn out union members and working class voters across the critical bellwether county, which has voted for the winner of the presidential election in every election since 2008.

Ferrito said union members will continue to canvass in Erie through Election Day.

“We know that union members talking to union members is how we win,” she said. “We know what it means to stand together. And that is why we have to be the ones that are leading these conversations. This election is about protecting everything that we fought for.”

Redmond added that he’s never seen a bigger threat to the labor movement than Trump and Project 2025, the detailed plan that includes radical changes to the federal government, like the overhauling of overtime protections that would give employers ways to avoid paying overtime to workers.

Trump has disavowed Project 2025, which is an effort by the Heritage Foundation.

Some of the unions in attendance included members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, out of Pennsylvania; the Service Employees International Union 1199, out of Buffalo; and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 103, out of Boston.

"We’re brothers and sisters ― if we’re needed, we come. You call us, we’re there," said Lisa Marie Scales, a Boston resident and member of IBEW 103.

"Being in a union, everything that we have, we fought for," added Renee Leona Dozier, also of IBEW 103. "We know Erie has a huge impact on the country. So, we’re just here as a reminder ― brother to brother, sister to sister ― we’re here fighting for our lives, for our pocketbooks, for our bodies, it’s huge."

Coming up: Former President Bill Clinton to campaign for Harris in Erie get-out-the-vote event

Sanders touts Biden-Harris record for working people

At Erie High School, Sanders touted the pro-worker record of President Joe Biden and Harris, listing several of the administration's achievements, from the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Sanders also cited the administration's victories in lowering the cost of prescription drugs and relieving student debt for millions of Americans.

"Anybody who tells you that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do not have a strong record for the working class of this country is not telling you the truth," Sanders said to a crowd of roughly 450 people.

Sanders further blasted the level of wealth inequality in the country and argued it will only get worse under Trump who benefits from a "corrupt campaign finance system," where billionaires like Musk, benefit him.

"We've got to create an economy and government that works for all us and not just the Elon Musks of the world," he said. "The vast majority of the people want a government that works for them, not just for the few."

(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)

A.J. Rao can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Sen. Bernie Sanders mobilizes union support for Harris in Erie