Northern Nevada Workers First Rally for Racial & Economic Justice
As part of the AFL-CIO's National Workers First Day of Action on June 17th, the Northern Nevada Central Labor Council and several of our affiliates turned out in support of passing the HEROES Act and supporting national reforms for racial and economic justice. Click here to watch the video!
NNCLC President Mike Pilcher also wrote the following Open Letter to Mitch McConnell, which was submitted as a Letter to the Editor in the Reno Gazette-Journal and ThisIsReno.
Dear U.S. Senate Leader McConnell, Across the country, state and local governments are being overwhelmed by an incredible demand for public services at the very moment revenues are cratering.
Our public services are critical, providing us with safety, education, communication, law enforcement, infrastructure, health, legal and employment services, testing, training and much more.
Many of these sector workers have been classified as "essential" during this COVID-19 crisis. They are also an integral part of a thriving commerce, community, and state, and part of a workforce that has kept this country and economy running.
Here in Nevada, Governor Sisolak just announced that without federal aid, furloughs and layoffs are planned for Nevada’s state workers. Most Nevada state workers impacted by the Great Recession just ten years ago have yet to recover fully.
Passing a version of the HEROES Act that takes into consideration the local costs of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability of states and cities to provide services to "Main Street" should be just as important as "loaning" money to corporations on Wall Street.
Keeping our children in school, our workers and visitors safe, and our commerce and community healthy seems like a "no-brainer." The workers that make this happen need your help. They don't want a parade, tribute, salute or concert - just their jobs and the ability to do them safely.
You will likely never experience going from "Essential" and "Front-line" to pink slips and the unemployment line - but I hope you can understand the painful dichotomy our workers now find themselves in.
And while you're at it, please fund the United States Postal Service. Ben Franklin would probably think it a smart move to ensure that, as America moves towards mail-in voting, that our constitutional right to vote has the full force of oversight and protection provided by the federal government versus contracting out to a for-profit corporation.
Just a thought.
Respectfully,
Mike Pilcher
Northern Nevada Central Labor Council - President
Nevada AFL-CIO Executive Board