PHILADELPHIA —Sen. Bernie Sanders will rally with union organizers in Philadelphia on Saturday, part of a multicity tour to advocate for better pay, safer work conditions, and easier organizing for workers across the country.
Sanders told The Philadelphia Inquirer the tour is about bringing “working people together to stand up and fight against corporate greed.”
“We are living in a moment where working families are struggling,” Sanders said. “Most people are not seeing their wages keeping up with inflation. Meanwhile, we have more income inequality and outrageous levels of corporate greed in terms of oil companies having record-breaking profits while gas prices at the pump are soaring.”
The event, which is open to the public starting at 3 p.m. outside the Independence Hall Visitor Center, will be livestreamed on Sanders’ social media accounts. It follows historic labor wins at Starbucks, Amazon, and across dozens of other industries around the country.
Also to appear at the rally are Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Sara Nelson, who heads the Association of Flight Attendants. After the Philadelphia stop, the trio will do a similar rally in Boston.
Sanders said the tour wasn’t sparked by the midterm elections and isn’t meant to be partisan, but rather an opportunity to advocate for affordable health care, raising the minimum wage, and making it easier for workers to form unions and for people to access housing and higher education.
“We hope not only that Democrats but Republicans and independents and as many people as possible will come out,” Sanders said. “We are seeing this country move toward oligarchy and working families are struggling. ... We’ve got to come together around an agenda and stand up and fight back. That’s the message.”
On Thursday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro rallied with members of Philadelphia labor unions in LOVE Park demanding workers have the opportunity to join or form unions. The event included parking attendants, unionized and looking to unionize, as well as employees from Starbucks and the Sheraton Hotel who spoke about organizing.
Parking attendant Bruce Rodgers said going from working for a company with a nonunion workforce to one with a union greatly improved his life.
“When I first started working as a parking attendant, raises were not guaranteed. It’s the union that stands by us and makes sure we’re taken care of,” he said. “Unions really do bring the dignity, respect, and living wages that we all deserve.”
The event doubled as a rally for Shapiro, who is endorsed for governor by SEIU 32BJ and who drew a contrast between himself and his Republican opponent, State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has supported “right to work” legislation, which would forbid people from being required to join a union as a condition of their employment.
“We’re going to take that fight from our parking lots to our coffeehouses,” Shapiro said. “And we’re gonna do that important work to treat workers with dignity and respect and make sure the union way of life helps improve Pennsylvanians’ lives.”
