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98
INTERNATIONALBROTHERHOODOFELECTRICALWORKERS
1701 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130
Phone: 215-563-5592
Fax: 215-561-2168
this point: The Democratic Party has become almost solely based on cultural liberalism. I get it.
I have a wife who underwent cranial surgery using stem cell-like technology. My one daughter is gay
and I adopted a second daughter who lost both parents to opioid abuse. Their issues matter more to
me than anything. I understand the value of cultural liberalism, but if the Democratic Party and the
national labor movement dont get back to focusing on class issues, the unionized labor movement
will soon be extinct.
I understand how and why Donald Trumps victory happened. People are frustrated and angry at the
lack of change in our nation. Their votes for President-Elect Trump were a rejection of the status quo
and, in large measure, a rejection of Americas two-party political system. I also acknowledge that
many brothers and sisters in the national labor movement, their families and our families have faced
economic hardships for far too long and wanted change. Many have yet to recover from the Great
Recession. Wages have been stagnant. Benefits have been cut. Health care contributions have risen.
Additional financial resources have been needed to shore up struggling pension funds. Many union
brothers and sisters across the country are still unemployed and their lives have been made even
more challenging because many dont have unemployment insurance.
Their plight is all the worse when you consider that abuses in our industry are rampant undocumented workers, the misclassification of workers, weakened federal and state labor laws, and
a total lack of enforcement of existing laws. All of these issues have resulted in a massively unlevel
playing field for unions.
The harsh reality is that no one has been able to stop the decline of unions. Ive come to realize some
hard truths in the aftermath of Trumps victory. The unionized labor movement has to stop meddling
in other peoples business. And we have to stop paying everyone elses bills. We need to put away
the tuxedos, stop attending the fancy dinners and fundraisers, and get back to union organizing and
spending our money on organizing. We need to be pushing issues like infrastructure reinvestment; the
creation of a national energy policy; the health and safety of our members; and the enforcement of
city, state and federal laws that govern the construction industry. The ones who abuse those laws are
the ones who are guilty of creating economic harm by cheating their workers and the government.
Here are the facts: The Democratic Party has consistently gotten its butt kicked. The party has not
been this week since 1928, a year before the Great Depression. This election revealed a stunning
lack of energy, resources and commitment. There is little to no middle class and there is little
unionized labor. Im not even sure how many Democrats are still squarely in the Democratic column.
The significant Democratic cross-over vote for Trump confirmed my doubts. If all of this bleak news
doesnt scream for an uprising in the Democratic Party, I dont know what does.
Despite unionized labors many issues, there is one major point of differentiation that should give you
great hope for the future: IBEW Local 98 is unlike most other unions. Local 98 has become a respected
national brand. Our market share in our jurisdiction is unrivaled anywhere in the country. We are the
best trained and most experienced electricians in the industry. And that is a credit to every one of you.
As I said before, the Trump administration will not affect our day-to-day operations. We will continue
to engage with our industry partners and developers to promote the benefits of union construction
to create jobs for our members. We will continue to make smart investments in new construction
projects in the city, both to create jobs and to constantly improve our financial position. We will
continue to be innovators in our industry and leaders in our community. And we will continue to
support candidates for political office who understand the value and importance of a strong labor
movement, no matter which political party they claim.
I am unapologetic on this point, which bears repeating. The Democratic Party is too fixated on cultural
liberalism and not focused enough on the populist economy. Wake up, Democratic Party leaders.
You can no longer expect us to pay all the bills, but seldom get a seat at the table. You can no longer
expect to receive our financial contributions, borrow our members, and count on our votes if youre
not going to give us jobs. Those days are over.
And the election is over. The people have spoken. We have to move on - and we will. We will stay
together and we will remain strong. I cannot thank you and your families enough for all of your hard
work. You did yourselves, your country and your union proud.
Yours in solidarity,
John J. Dougherty
Business Manager
P.S. As a wise old man once said, Its the economy, stupid.