NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WTKR) — A bus tour advocating for union workers' rights made a stop in Newport News on Saturday, giving voice to employees who fear for their job security and benefits.
The tour, titled "It's Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness, and Security," is organized by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Its goal is to highlight the importance of unions in protecting workers and to address proposed funding cuts to key agencies that support them, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Chris Puckett, a member of United Steelworkers Local 8888 and an employee at the Newport News shipyard, voiced his concerns about the uncertain future for union members. “We want to be able to get a living wage, retire with dignity, and have healthcare. All these rights are under attack right now,” he said. Puckett emphasized the need for solidarity, stating, “These are my brothers, these are my sisters, and I care about these people.”
Newport News is known as a steelworker city, with Local 8888 representing approximately 10,000 shipbuilders responsible for constructing nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers for the Navy. Many of these workers have also served in the military.
“Once they decide to retire, building an aircraft carrier or submarine allows them to carry on their military tradition,” Puckett added. “What we do is very important to the nation for security and progress.”
Veteran Robert Love highlighted the risks posed by proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which could jeopardize veterans' earned benefits. “Because of the huge cuts, they could lose their jobs, they could lose a means to send their kids to college… lose their pensions. And then where are they going to be?” Love said. “We have a lot of homeless veterans here, and as a result of cuts from unnecessary politics, it causes people to lose their way of life.”
While Love mentioned that he wouldn’t be personally affected by the cuts, he attended the rally to support those who would be. “This is a great melting pot, and this is what the flag stands for: the freedom to live and the freedom to have a better way of life.”
The bus tour continues to travel nationwide, advocating for the rights of union workers and the preservation of their livelihoods and benefits.
