Oct. 9—WILKES-BARRE — Several Democrats gathered for a Zoom conference Wednesday ahead of former President Donald Trump’s rally in Scranton.
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney joined union leaders to underscore what they called the “threats” of Trump’s Project 2025 agenda to workers.
“Pennsylvanians know that Donald Trump is not looking out for Pennsylvania workers — he is only fighting for himself,” the group said in a joint statement. “As president, Donald Trump raised costs for working families, undermined Pennsylvania unions and gave tax breaks to corporations while creating new incentives that sent as many as 15,000 Pennsylvania jobs abroad.”
Cognetti said voters should focus on what the reality is.
“We have not forgotten his failed economic policies,” Cognetti said. “We know what it’s like when he’s president – chaos. And now he’s trying to undermine recovery efforts in Florida and other states. Donald Trump is always trying to divide us. He is a deteriorating version of himself – he is inciting outrage in People, he is much worse than he was in 2020. The people of Pennsylvania know who he is and they know Kamala Harris is the best choice for the country.”
The Zoom participants all agreed that Trump has failed Pennsylvania workers, saying he has raised costs for working families and undermined Pennsylvania unions while giving big corporations tax breaks.
Cognetti said Kamala Harris is committed to making sure workers get good-paying jobs, making sure their families have health care, that children are taken care of, that people have the resources to get childcare so they can go to work. that seniors have the option to receive their prescriptions so they don’t have to worry about utility bills during their golden years.
“That’s the kind of economics that Kamala Harris will continue to bring us,” Cognetti said. “We know this is not what we’re going to hear from Donald Trump today. We will hear his usual flood of lies.”
Former Philadelphia Mayor Kenney added, “Someone like Donald Trump has never had a summer job. He never worked after school. He’s never had any trouble. He received an envelope full of money from his father to start a business. him back in the White House. Vote for Harris and Walz and, as Vice President Harris recently said, ‘turn the page’ on this nightmare.”
Billy Williams, union member of Laborers’ Local 57, said he joined a union because it was one of the surest ways to pursue the American dream.
“You work hard, you get paid a decent wage, you earn decent benefits and you build a life for you and your family,” Williams said. “Vice President Kamala Harris is here to protect that sacred way of life in the Union, where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead.”
Williams went on to say that Trump, on the other hand, will destroy the unions’ way of life.
“Donald Trump has put union busters in charge and rolled back crucial worker protections,” Williams said. “He gave tax cuts to CEOs while leaving Pennsylvania workers in the dust. Trump can tell as many lies as he wants, but he cannot hide who he is.”
IBEW 743 Union member Bill Troutman said many people say Trump is unpredictable.
“But I know exactly what we’re going to get from him – anything but the truth,” Troutman said. I remember his presidency clearly. I remember a president who tried to undermine Social Security, not once, not twice, but every year of his presidency. I remember a president who broke his promise to American workers and failed to bring back manufacturing jobs. and shipped jobs overseas.”
Troutman said this is Trump’s legacy here in Pennsylvania.
“That’s why union members like me showed up in droves in 2020 to defeat him, and that’s why we’ll show up in 2024 to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz,” Troutman said.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
