Prepare to defend our democracy
Prepare to defend our democracy
The following message was sent to MTA members today from MTA President Merrie Najimy and Vice President Max Page:
As this year’s highly contentious Election Day approaches, supporters of democracy are preparing for the possibility that President Donald Trump and his enablers will continue their efforts to subvert the election, disenfranchise voters, and mislead the public about the true outcome of the vote. This is not an idle concern. Trump has repeatedly failed to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.
Anticipating that Trump might seek to sabotage the election, the MTA Board of Directors passed a New Business Item on Oct. 17 stating that “organized labor and its allied labor organizations must respond with nonviolent action to defend the democratic process, the Constitution and an orderly transfer of power that is one of the historic hallmarks of American democracy.”
MTA members can join this effort by taking a pledge to defend democracy and making a plan to join a “protect the results” event after Election Day. Planned actions include a rally on Boston Common at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, which will be held no matter what the results are. The Greater Boston Labor Council and other organizations are also tentatively planning events for Nov. 7, depending on the situation after the election.
We encourage local and regional networks to hold virtual meetings to discuss how they would respond and to make post-election plans. More information and materials to share can be found here.
And let’s take a few hours to make a final round of calls to fellow NEA members in battleground states. Sign up for the 4 p.m. Monday virtual phone bank being run by our Grassroots Campaigns Division.
If all goes well, we will soon be celebrating a major change in our national political landscape. If there are efforts to subvert the results of the vote, we must be prepared to act.