Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor has issued the following statement in response to the 2024 election results:
“The Oregon AFL-CIO and the entire Oregon Labor Movement could not be more proud of the efforts of every union member who volunteered their time to have critical conversations on doorsteps, on the phone, and at the workplace in this election.
The Oregon AFL-CIO shares the sentiment of labor organizations and our allies across the country regarding the outcome of the presidential election: The voters have spoken and their will along with a peaceful transfer of power must be respected. Presidential administrations change, but the values of the labor movement and our vision of a worker-centered and just future for all do not.
America’s unions proudly stood with Vice President Kamala Harris and we remain committed to the principles behind her campaign: Empower working families and move our country forward, not backward. Workers today face the same threat we faced yesterday, rampant corporate greed where profits are prioritized over the needs and value of people. Our fight to build a fair and just economy for all working people and to allow every worker the freedom to join a union remain undeterred.
No matter who is in the White House, we stand united to fight for a brighter future for working families. We know the attacks are coming, through the Project 2025 agenda and beyond, and Oregon Labor is more committed than ever to resist these attacks on our unions, our communities, and our fundamental freedoms. No one - not Donald Trump or JD Vance, nor any boss or CEO - can stop solidarity and the unwavering resilience of the labor movement.
Here in Oregon, we are proud of our work to help re-elect three champions for working people in Congress: Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas who have proven time and time again to be effective and outspoken advocates for workers and their unions. We are also pleased to see Maxine Dexter elected to Congress and know through her record as a state legislator and former union member that she will stand up for working people with each vote she casts in Washington DC. And we are proud of the work by Oregon Labor to elect Janelle Bynum to Congress and hope to see a victory in the Fifth Congressional District as well.
Our endorsed candidates and ballot measure positions down ballot were overall successful: By electing Dan Rayfield as Attorney General, Tobias Read as Secretary of State, and Elizabeth Steiner as State Treasurer we have set Oregon on a path toward greater progress for working people. Looking toward Salem, It is thrilling to see so many of Oregon Labor’s state legislative endorsements win their elections, including our priority races such as State Senator Chris Gorsek and State Senator-elect Anthony Broadman, along with State House priorities State Representative-elect April Dobson, State Representative Annessa Hartman, State Representative Hoa Nguyen, State Representative Zach Hudson, and State Representative Ricki Ruiz. We are excited to see Measure 119 pass, giving cannabis workers their long overdue right to organize unions at work.
Oregon’s future is in good hands, and we’re immensely proud of our work to both elect new champions for working people along with reelected leaders with proven track records of standing up for workers. With over one-third of our endorsed candidates being current or former union members or staff, we know we have elected candidates to office who understand the value and power of workers standing together to make positive changes on the job and in our communities.
The results of the election have made it profoundly clear: The Oregon Labor Movement must fight harder than ever to defend the progress we have made in the legislature, at the ballot box, and at the bargaining table while recommitting ourselves to finding new ways to protect and empower every single worker in Oregon.”
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