Opinion: Take it from union leaders—elect Ben Wikler chair of the DNC
The following guest post was written for Daily Kos by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Daily Kos has not endorsed a candidate in this election.
If the first days of the second Trump administration are any indication, it’s sadly clear that he will spend the next four years focusing on his grievances and helping the billionaires who bankrolled his campaign, not addressing the needs of hardworking Americans.
Donald Trump is already raising prescription drug prices, repealing clean-energy projects worked by union labor, halting federal aid, proposing drastic cuts to government safety-net programs, and scaring every parent and child with the threat to deport children from schools.
And while some questions remain about what tipped the electorate in Trump’s favor, one thing is abundantly clear: The Democratic Party has much to do if it wants working people to see it as their champion.
We need a leader who will put working people and their families at the center of everything we do. When Democratic National Committee members gather in Maryland’s National Harbor this weekend to vote for a new chair, the choice could not be clearer. Ben Wikler is the candidate who will work hand in hand with the labor movement in the fight for working people.
It’s the reason why I—alongside my fellow labor leaders at AFSCME, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, NEA, SEIU, and Unite Here—have endorsed Ben.
Ben has a clear vision for how the Democratic Party can work together with labor to build worker power and expand the party’s base to win on the issues that most affect working people. In his platform, Ben has committed to making sure that labor has a seat at the table when it comes to hiring, messaging and strategy. He recognizes that we can’t be pro-worker at the same time that we accept donations from corporations busting the unions that make us strong. That’s why he has committed to rejecting vendors who work with union-busters and donations from corporations that are busting unions.
Ben is a skilled organizer, fundraiser and communicator who understands the need to lift up working-class issues, organize year-round and reach all corners and people of this country.
Under his leadership, as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, WisDems chose to invest record resources in a state Supreme Court race in 2023 that turned a conservative court progressive. The court has since struck down gerrymandered maps, helping Democrats flip 14 state legislative seats this year.
In Wisconsin, Ben established a vision and executed on it. He says he will produce 57 state strategies as the DNC chair. I believe him.
The threats to working folks’ aspirations are clear as day. The question is: Who can lead the Democratic Party in both fighting those threats and advancing a program that helps make real the American dream that our kids and grandkids will have a better life?
And now, I speak to DNC members in particular: I have been a Democrat my whole life. It’s a time for new leadership and new energy. The status quo can last no longer, and working people are depending on the DNC to make the decision that puts working people first. That means electing Ben Wikler as our next DNC chair.
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