For so many Minnesotans, unions played a vital role in my families reaching the middle class – unions like UAW, IBEW, SEIU, AFSCME, Boilermakers, Sheetmetal Workers, and Laborers provide incredible opportunities for Minnesota families. Many of us wouldn’t be here today without the economic security that unions secured for our families, and Minnesota’s middle class wouldn’t be here without their tireless organizing.

I will be a senator who puts working families’ interests first and always stands up for workers’ organizing and collective bargaining rights. I have joined the picket line and strongly advocated for the fair wages and benefits that workers deserve. I am committed to giving labor leaders and workers a seat at the table when major decisions are made. I will fight for wage and hour laws and crack down on employers that break Project Labor Agreements and violate labor rights.

I will advocate for investments in sectors like housing, public transit, and energy that create thousands of good-paying union jobs. I will work to ensure these state projects involve our unions and include explicit protections for workers to ensure that they are paid good wages and benefits. I support protecting and expanding workers’ collective bargaining rights to ensure that they can bargain on wages, benefits, and contracts.

We can support working families by engaging with labor leaders and workers to drive down healthcare costs through third-party audits of state health benefits plan claims and expanded transparency within healthcare pricing. I commit to fully funding our pension system to guarantee that working families can retire with security and dignity. I support evaluating the state pension’s funded ratio so that retirees see cost-of-living adjustments.

I don’t just talk about the importance of labor unions and bargaining rights – I have a track record of standing up for working families. I will lead the fight for growing our community with good-paying jobs and restoring the dignity of so many Minnesotans who just want to support their families. I have stood with workers – from nurses to journalists – as they negotiated for better wages and benefits and have led advocacy in support of their organizing rights.

I will be a senator who doesn’t just smile for the camera or watch from the sidelines – I will fight hard for working families every day.