‘January 6 was a real wake-up call’: US unions fight to save democracy

Labor leaders view this year's elections - and 2024's - with special urgency, as a goal-line stand to preserve America's democracy

Many union leaders used to pooh-pooh talk about saving democracy, according t0 Shane Larson, the Communications Workers of America's director of government affairs. All that changed after the January 6 assault on the Capitol and after many Republicans pushed to overturn Biden's victory in several states.

Just a few years ago, some union leaders would complain, Why are we focusing on these do-good democratic issues?' They'd say we need to focus exclusively on labor rights and jobs, jobs, jobs," Larson said. Now no one is complaining about this at all. There's a real recognition that the entire labor movement has to be involved in this effort, that we have to do something for our democracy or we can lose it.