Pennsylvania union members knock on doors to defeat Trump, motivated by '900 pages of pure terror'

Ross Thomas was in a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation truck, idling on the shoulder of a highway, when a car drifted from its lane and slammed into it. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the December crash. That’s because Thomas, an equipment operator for the department, was in a so-called “safety truck,” with an attenuator that absorbed the impact.

Thomas walked away. But he views the crash as a stark reminder of the dangers of his job — and what he could stand to lose if his state government employer had the power to compromise on worker safety.

Thomas is a member of Local 3033 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents operators, mechanics and inspectors of the department in Harrisburg’s Dauphin County. He is particularly concerned about how a Donald Trump presidency may threaten his safety at work. Trump allies, he told Capital & Main, “want to dismantle union protections.” (Disclosure: AFSCME is a financial supporter of Capital & Main.)

Thomas pointed to Project 2025, the lengthy playbook for a second Trump term (“900 pages of pure terror,” Thomas said), published by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump has distanced himself from the plan written by those close to him in light of widespread public opposition; still, the proposals are similar to many of Trump’s own. And both Trump and Project 2025 have explicitly challenged public sector unions.



https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/pennsylvania-union-members-project-2025-knock-on-doors-to-defeat-trump-motivated-by-900-pages-of-pure-terror/