Sanders Hosts Union Members Dinner
JULY 31, 2018
BURLINGTON, Vt. — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, on Sunday, hosted a dinner in celebration of Vermont’s unions and their members. 425 attendees, representing 25 unions from across the state came out to voice solidarity with one another and recognize the collective power of the labor movement to demand respect and equity for workers across the country.
“At a time when the labor movement faces fierce opposition in Vermont and across the country, it is vital that unions come together and stand with each other,” Sanders said during his remarks. “It is important that we continue to fight the Trump administration and their every attempt to break the spirit of our nation’s workers. We must continue the fight to raise the minimum wage to a livable wage, to guarantee health care to every American and expand social security.”
Sanders concluded his remarks by saying, “In the face of the disastrous decision by the Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME, we must do all we can to support our labor organizations and stand with them as they fight for workers’ rights across this country. We will not have the country we want, and need, unless we build and grow the labor community.”
Brad Reed, president of the Professional Firefighters of Vermont, captured the event fully in his closing remarks, “The word for tonight is solidarity. Thank you, Bernie, for bringing us together to celebrate labor and unions tonight. We all stand hand in hand in solidarity.”