Union Urges Congress to Pass Pro-Worker Laws
The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America called on the incoming Congress to act on wages, Social Security and labor law after the midterm elections.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Unions
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Officers of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America issued a statement on Nov. 6, days after the midterm elections, urging the incoming Congress to pass pro-worker legislation. President Donald Trump has promised to veto any bill the new Congress passes.
Why it matters
The union's agenda spans wages, health coverage, taxes and labor law, and its push comes as Trump has pledged to block any legislation Congress sends him. The union argues that sending him worker-friendly measures would force a veto that exposes the stakes for voters across the country.
The federal minimum wage has stood at $7.25 an hour since 2009, and a pre-election poll found 27% of voters believed Democrats had real solutions. The statement does not say whether the demands will be introduced as legislation in the new Congress.
The players
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
A labor union representing workers in manufacturing, the public sector and higher education, which is not affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
Donald Trump
The current President of the United States, who has promised to veto any bill passed by the new Congress.
The details
The statement, signed by General President Scott Slawson, Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Dinkelaker and Director of Organization Kimberly Lawson, lists demands including raising the federal minimum wage, investigating price-gouging by oil and food companies, enacting Medicare for All, expanding and fully funding Social Security, reversing the 2017 and 2025 tax cuts, and passing the PRO Act while repealing the Taft-Hartley Act. The union urged Democrats to send Trump worker-friendly measures so he would be forced to veto them, and credited working people rather than the Democratic Party for the party's midterm gains.
Timeline
Nov. 6, 2026: The union issued its statement, days after the midterm elections.
Legal Context
The union's push to raise the minimum wage comes against a federal floor of $7.25 an hour, set under the 2007 Fair Minimum Wage Act and unchanged since 2009. Its demand to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act also revisits a 1947 labor law that has governed union organizing for decades.
If the federal minimum wage were raised from $7.25 an hour, workers earning near that floor would see a direct change in their paychecks. Any bill that reaches Trump's desk would face a veto under his stated position, so the practical outcome for most workers depends on whether Congress can override it.
The takeaway
Workers and voters tracking labor policy should watch whether the demands are introduced as bills in the new Congress, since a veto threat makes passage uncertain. The union's framing ties the outcome to how Democrats respond to Trump's pledge.
Further reading
For more on labor organizing and union policy, browse Unions coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NJTODAY.
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Should Congress raise the federal minimum wage above $7.25 an hour?
