"900 pages of pure terror": Important group of voters fights against Trump in a crucial swing state

Merkur "900 pages of pure terror": Important group of voters fights against Trump in a crucial swing state Article by Paula Völkner • 7 hours • 3 minutes reading time "Shred day" before the 2024 US election Some employees in the USA are alarmed because of "Project 2025". They are therefore mobilizing against Trump before the 2024 US election - in crucial swing states. Pennsylvania - "Shred day" - that is what union members in Pennsylvania and Michigan called the day on which they demonstrated against "Donald Trump's Project 2025". "Shred" - in German, destroy or shred. That is what Trump intends to do with the freedoms of union members with "Project 2025", according to a publication by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The AFSCME is a union that represents members from the public and private sectors - including nursing and teaching staff. "Shred day": Union members protest against Trump in swing states ahead of the 2024 US election On "shred day," the union's publication states, members came together "to discuss in detail how Trump's plan would break up unions, abolish overtime protection and lift the $35 cap on insulin for seniors." The meeting took place in the states of Pennsylvania and Michigan - two contested swing states in which the 2024 US election is expected to be decided on November 5th. Protest by important voting group ahead of the 2024 US election - "Project 2025" criticized Union members are an important voting group in the election campaign ahead of the 2024 US election. Both Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Trump are vying for the votes of the working class. Other union members of the AFL CIO - the largest union umbrella organization in the USA - are said to have joined the AFSCME's call for protest. The members' protest is directed at "Project 2025", a 900-page project by right-wing think tanks. The project envisages radically restructuring the state as a result of the election. 31 of the 34 authors were employees of the first Trump administration. Trump has distanced himself from the plan. What the paper has in store for workers does not seem to go down well with some union members. According to Capital & Main, Ross Thomas, a member of the AFSCME, expressed concern about a possible second term for Trump. According to Thomas, the ex-president wants to "reduce union protection". Thomas called "Project 2025" "900 pages of pure terror". And in fact, the project does not paint a particularly rosy future for workers in the USA. Auto Workers' complaint ahead of 2024 US election: Trump is making himself unpopular The plan includes recommendations for companies on how to increase their profits. These include "several recommendations that, taken together, would cut the wages of millions of workers, particularly by making overtime pay available to fewer workers," says a Guardian report. In the US, many people are financially dependent on overtime pay. The paper also states that Congress should consider abolishing all public sector unions. This is not the first time Trump has drawn the ire of union members. In a live conversation with tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump said of striking employees: "When they go on strike, you say: That's OK, then you're all gone. You're all gone. Every one of you is gone." The United Auto Workers (UAW) - one of the most influential US unions - responded to the 78-year-old's statement with a federal labor law complaint. Polls on the 2024 US election: Unions for Harris - members partly divided Most unions have spoken out in favor of the current Vice President Harris before the US election on November 5, 2024. Nevertheless, according to polls, the support of members of some unions is divided. An internal survey by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters found that around 60 percent of members support Trump. The Teamsters have therefore decided not to support any of the candidates in this year's 2024 US election. The unions in the USA are considered an important voting group that could decide who wins the 2024 US election. According to an analysis by the Pew Research Institute, a majority of union members still support the Democratic candidate. Nevertheless, a Politico report on labor ahead of the 2024 US election states: “The shift away from the Democratic Party is a major problem in a presidential election that will be decided by a narrow majority.” (pav)