Labor Welcomes Pence to Minnesota, Asks He Do More for Working Families

Vice President Mike Pence visited Rochester and the Mayo Clinic today. Pommella Wegmann, President of the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council responded to the Vice President’s visit with a plea for him to do more for workers who are risking their lives on the front-lines and workers facing job loss and economic uncertainty.

 “The labor movement of Southeast Minnesota welcomes and thanks Vice President Pence for coming to Rochester, but we implore: do better and do more. We are in a devastating public health crisis, and Minnesota’s workers deserve better than false information and inaction from Vice President Pence, President Trump, and their administration,” Wegmann said.

 “Mothers, fathers, grandparents, and other family members are returning home from work today less safe and with less job security. We need action. Keep font-line workers safe and secure with necessary personal protective equipment. Keep our food supply stable by ensuring workers in agriculture, meatpacking, and other food production are working at safe speeds and safe distances. Keep businesses running with assurances of no layoffs, downsizing, or outsourcing. Keep local governments, public schools, and the U.S. Postal Service solvent and working,” Wegmann continued.

Working people have tried to work in good faith for years with Vice President Pence, President Trump, and their administration, but they have purposefully undercut workers every chance they get. They approved new tax laws that took money out of the pockets of working people. They sought to lower standards for workforce training and construction apprenticeships. They actively opposed labor law reform that would make it easier for workers to stand up for themselves or to form a union. It’s way past time for real leadership and real solutions to protect working families.

 The Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO represents over 40,000 union members in southern Minnesota. Our mission is to improve the lives for working families by bringing economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our state and nation.