POLLS.
>> THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE TIME
FOR AMERICA.
JOBS ARE SOARING, WAGES ARE
RISING, OPTIMISM IS
SKY-ROCKETING AND MORE AMERICANS
ARE WORKING TODAY THAN EVER
BEFORE IN OUR HISTORY.
REPUBLICANS HAVE CREATED THE
BEST ECONOMY IN THE HISTORY OF
OUR COUNTRY.
THIS IS THE SINGLE BEST ECONOMY
IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT
COUNTRY.
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
>> AND IT'S THE HOTTEST JOBS
MARKET ON THE PLANET EARTH.
BUT EVERYTHING WE HAVE ACHIEVED
IS AT STAKE TOMORROW.
EVERYTHING.
BECAUSE THEY CAN TAKE IT APART
JUST AS FAST AS WE BUILT IT.
MARIA: THIS AS ORGANIZED LABOR
MOUNTED A MASSIVE DIGITAL AD
CAMPAIGN TARGETING PEOPLE
WORKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY
REACHING 10 MILLION VOTERS IN 15
STATES.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS THE
PRESIDENT OF THE AFL-CIO UNION,
RICHARD TRUMKA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS
MORNING.
>> MARIA, THANKS FOR HAVING ME
ON.
AND HAPPY ELECTION DAY.
MARIA: AND TO YOU AS WELL.
YOU JUST HEARD PRESIDENT TRUMP
ABOUT THE BEST ECONOMY THAT HE'S
EVER SEEN.
HOW HAS THE ECONOMY BEEN IN
TERMS OF THE UNION WORKER, WAGES
ARE UP 3.1% IN THE LAST READING,
WE KNOW THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE IS AT A RECORD LOW.
HOW DO YOU SEE IT?
>> FIRST OF ALL, OUR MEMBERS,
WORKERS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE
MOTIVATED RIGHT NOW LIKE I'VE
NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE.
THEY MOBILEIZED BECAUSE THEY
BELIEVE THAT THIS ECONOMY ISN'T
WORKING FOR THEM AND THE
POLITICAL SYSTEM ISN'T WORKING
FOR THEM.
THEY WANT AN ECONOMY THAT REALLY
HELPS EVERYBODY.
ONE MONTH OF INCREASED WAGES OR
PREDICTED INCREASED WAGES
DOESN'T REVERSE THREE DECADES OF
FLAT, STAGNANT WAGES.
THE ECONOMY HASN'T BEEN WORKING
FOR THEM AND I GOT TO TELL YOU
MARKSLY
MARISLY
MARIA,Y
MARIA, THEY'RE MOTIVATED LIKE I
HAVEN'T SEEN IN MY 50 YEARS IN
THE LABOR MOVEMENT.
MARIA: I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING ABOUT THREE DECADES.
THE LAST TWO YEARS, THINGS HAVE
GOTTEN BETTER FOR THEM, RIGHT?
>> SOME YES, SOME NO.
THERE'S A LOT TO BE DONE.
WHEN YOUR WAGES ARE FLAT, IT
DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER THE STOCK
MARKET'S UP.
WHEN SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO TAKE
YOUR PENSION AWAY, IT DOESN'T
MATTER WHAT SOMEONE ELSE'S 401-K
HAS DONE.
WORKERS ARE STILL UNDER ATTACK.
THEIR WAGES ARE FLAT.
THEIR HEALTH CARE IS UNDER
ATTACK.
COSTS ARE RISING.
$1,500 NEXT YEAR WILL BE THE
INCREASE IN THEIR PREMIUMS
THEY'RE GOING TO SEE.
THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO AFFORD THAT.
THEIR PENSIONS ARE BEING
ATTACKED.
SO FOR THEM, THIS ISN'T A REAL
MECCA.
THEY'RE TRYING TO COME UP WITH
THE SECURE ECONOMY THAT WORKS
FOR THEM AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE
GOING TO DO TODAY.
MARIA: DO YOU THINK THE
DEMOCRATS TAKING THE HOUSE, THE
MAJORITY OF THE HOUSE WILL
CHANGE ANY OF THAT?
DO YOU THINK THAT THEIR WAGES
WILL GO UP IF THE DEMOCRATS ARE
IN CHARGE OF THE HOUSE?
DO YOU THINK TAXES GOING UP,
WHICH IS ONE OF THEIR POLICY
PLATFORMS, WILL BE GOOD FOR THE
WORKER?
>> HERE'S WHAT I THINK.
TODAY WE'RE GOING TO ELECT A
BUNCH OF UNION-FRIENDLY WORKERS
BECAUSE MARIA, HERE'S WHAT WE
DID.
ALL THE WAY BACK IN MAY, WE
STARTED TALKING TO OUR MEMBERS
AND SAID WHAT ISSUES ARE
IMPORTANT TO YOU?
THEY TOLD US WHAT THOSE ISSUES
WERE.
WE THEN TOOK THOSE ISSUES TO THE
CANDIDATES WHO WERE RUNNING AND
SAID WHICH OF YOU WILL SUPPORT
THESE ISSUES.
WE'RE GOING TO ELECT BOTH
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS THAT
SUPPORT WORKER ISSUES.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BETTER
SHAKE AT IT.
HOPEFULLY THEY'LL BE ABLE TO
WORK TOGETHER AND IF THEY DON'T,
WE'LL ELECT MORE PEOPLE THAT
WILL SUPPORT OUR ISSUES.
MARIA: THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT
YOU HAVE A VOICE.
YOU HAVE A VOICE, RICHARD.
AND TELL ME ABOUT THIS DIGITAL
AD CAMPAIGN REACHING 10 MILLION
PEOPLE.
>> WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY -- THIS
IS THE BIGGEST MEMBER TO MEMBER
CAMPAIGN THAT WE'VE EVER HAD IN
OUR HISTORY.
WE'RE DOING RADIO.
WE'RE DOING DIGITAL ADS AND
WE'RE DOING DIRECT MAIL
10 MILLION PIECES OF DIRECT
MAIL.
AND THEY'RE HAVING AN EFFECT.
IN OHIO, FOR INSTANCE, MARIA,
HALF OF OUR MEMBERS THAT VOTED
FOR TRUMP SAID THEY'RE VOTING
FOR CORDRE AND SHERROD BROWN
THIS TIME.
IT'S HAD A AN EFFECT ON THEM.
THEY'RE VOTING FOR PEOPLE THAT
SUPPORT WORKERS AND ARE ALLIES.
OVER 1500 UNION MEMBERS ARE
RUNNING FOR OFFICE.
MARIA: LET ME ASK ABOUT TRADE.
THIS IS ONE OF THE PRESIDENT'S
POLICIES AND A LOT OF PEOPLE --
WELL, THEY WERE DEBATING ON HOW
GREAT THIS USMCA DEAL REALLY IS.
SOME PEOPLE SAY IT WAS A
GIVEN-A-- GIVE-AWAY TO THE
UNIONS, THE MEXICO AND CANADA
DEAL THAT NEEDS TO BE VOTED ON
BY CONGRESS NEXT YEAR.
HAVE TRADE TENSIONS HAD AN
EFFECT ON YOUR ORGANIZATION?
>> FIRST OF ALL, I'M REALLY
PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WORKERS
STICKING TOGETHER HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO CHANGE THE DEBATE ABOUT
WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO GET A NEW
NAFTA OR WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO
FIX A BAD TRADE AGREEMENT.
WE HAD THAT EFFECT.
THAT'S REALLY WONDERFUL.
RIGHT NOW IT'S TOO EARLY FOR US
TO BE ABLE TO SAY WHETHER THE
NEW AGREEMENT IS GOOD OR ISN'T
GOOD THAT WE WILL SUPPORT OR
WON'T SUPPORT.
THERE'S TOO MANY UNKNOWNS RIGHT
NOW.
HOW WILL WE ENFORCE THE LABOR
STANDARDS?
HOW WILL WE ENFORCE RULES OF
ORIGIN IN THOSE ARE YET TO BE
DECIDED --
MARIA: PART OF THE DEAL
REQUIRES OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE
UNION WORKERS.
THAT HAS TO BE A POSITIVE FOR
YOU.
IF PART OF THE USMCA FORCES
MEXICO AND CANADA TO HIRE UNION
WORKERS THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T
KNOW THAT THAT AGREEMENT FORCES
ANYBODY TO HIRE UNION WORKERS.
WHAT IT DOES DO, HOPEFULLY, IT
WILL HELP US MAKE SURE THAT THE
MEXICAN WORKERS HAVE A VOICE ON
THE JOB SO THAT THEY CAN RAISE
THEIR LABOR STANDARDS AND TAKE
AWAY THE DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON
AMERICAN WAGES.
MARIA: YEP, YEP.
>> IF IT DOESN'T DO THAT, IT'S A
NON-STARTER.
MARIA: RIGHT.
>> IF IT DOES DO THAT, WE HAVE
AN AGREEMENT THAT CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.
MARIA: THAT'S ONE OF THE --
THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES WITHIN
THE PLAN AND THAT'S WHAT
CONGRESS IS GOING TO VOTE ON FOR
SURE.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
LABOR UNIONS WERE DEALT A BLOW
THIS SUMMER WHEN THE SUPREME
COURT RULED PUBLIC UNIONS COULD
NOT FORCE NONMEMBERS TO PAY
DUES.
THERE'S ALSO A REPORT OF A
LAWSUIT AGAINST THE STATE OF NEW
JERSEY RIGHT NOW, THE NEW JERSEY
EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND THE
TOWNSHIP OF OCEAN EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION CHALLENGING THE CONS
CONSTITUTIONALITY OF A LAW THAT
AFFECT HE DID
AFFECT HE DEDUCTIONS.
HAVE YOU BEEN AFFECTED?
THE SUPREME COURT IS SAYING THE
UNIONS AND GOVERNMENT CANNOT
COMPEL PUBLIC EMPLOYEES TO PAY
UNION DUES.
>> FIRST OF ALL, WE STARTED
TALKING TO OUR MEMBERS TWO YEARS
OR THREE YEARS BEFOREHAND ABOUT
THAT AGREEMENT AND SO WE KNEW IT
WAS COMING.
OUR MEMBERS HAVEN'T WALKED AWAY
FROM US.
THEY'VE STAYED,
THEY'VE STAYED OUR MEMBERS.
IN SOME AREAS WE'VE INCREASED
MEMBERSHIP BECAUSE WE CONTINUE
TO TALK TO THEM.
MARIA: THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> WHAT IT HAS DONE, MARIA, IT
SHOWED US WHO OUR FRIENDS ARE