WASHINGTON – After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were declared the next president and vice president, AFSCME President Lee Saunders issued the following statement:
“During one of the most difficult moments in our nation’s history, Americans have come together to elect two fearless fighters for working people, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, to be our president and vice president.
“The people have spoken through legitimate democratic processes. It is time for our country to unite around the will of the voters, to rally around an administration that is ready to fund the front lines and get to work defeating COVID-19.
“Even with the outcome of the election now known, it is critical that every single vote be counted, because every American deserves to have their voice heard through legitimate democratic processes. We will remain vigilant in the face of the Trump campaign’s shameful, anti-democratic efforts to silence people who have cast their ballots.
“This victory is especially meaningful for public service workers who have fought day after grueling day against a raging virus. AFSCME members have shown extraordinary strength and courage: treating patients, taking care of our kids, picking up trash, fixing the roads, doing everything in our power to keep our communities safe and strong. We fought for the funding we needed to do our essential work. And when that funding did not pass, putting our jobs at risk at the worst possible time, we mobilized in overwhelming numbers to defeat those who stood in the way.
“And come January 20, we will have a White House that honors our work, respects our sacrifice and fights for the aid to states, cities and towns that we need. We will also retain a pro-worker U.S. House of Representatives. And with control of the U.S. Senate still up for grabs, AFSCME will be flexing our political muscle and making our voices heard over the next two months in Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections.
“It is time to heal the nation, to empower working people, to tackle deep-seated inequalities and finally fund the front lines – so we can build back our communities better than before.”