Contact: Chelsey Engel, 412-212-8173, cengel@usw.org
(Pittsburgh) – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway released the following statement marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day and calling for the U.S. Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act:
“The freedom to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, but it is now in grave peril as Republican-led state legislatures chip away at this foundational right.
“Gerrymandering districts, reducing polling locations – mostly in Black, Latino, and college communities – and instituting other restrictions intended to disenfranchise voters or discard their votes is un-American. It must stop.
“There is no better way to honor civil rights heroes like Dr. King and Rep. Lewis than by passing common-sense voting rights legislation. The USW calls on the U.S. Senate to finally take decisive action, secure free and fair elections and protect our democracy for generations to come.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.