Union Members Offered $100 To Attend Rally for Dem Rep. Susan Wild, Leaked Text Message Shows
Pennsylvania Democrat posed with union members to thank them for their attendance.
According to a text message leaked by the Washington Free Beacon, a Pennsylvania labor union that was aligned with Rep. Susan Wild had offered its members $100 for them to attend a rally in support of the vulnerable House Democrat. Wild posted photos of herself posing alongside union members, thanking them for their attendance.
The message shows that an official from the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers gave the stipend as a way to encourage union members to come to a “Labor Rally/Canvass launch” in Allentown on September 7th.
Randy Eberly wrote, “Wear your Union Colors. You will receive a $100 Stipend if you participate.” He is the secretary treasurer for the local chapter of bricklayers union. The message was signed “In Union Solidarity” by Eberly.
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The unions were offered $100 for each member to attend a rally in support of Pennsylvania Democrat Susan Wild
Wild, who’s running against Republican State Representative Ryan Mackenzie spoke to about 100 rally participants, many of whom were wearing shirts that showed their union affiliation. She wrote afterward on social media, “What a wonderful way to start the morning!” “THANK you to all the union members, labor leaders and volunteers who came out today to discuss the importance of this election for the working class–and went on to knock some door!”
Wild may not have been aware of the stipends offered to rally participants. The astroturfing, in which groups pay individuals to attend events and create the false appearance of grassroots support, comes as Wild faces the most difficult reelection campaign of any House Democrat incumbent. Wild won her race by a narrow margin in 2022. Her district voted for Donald Trump during the 2020 election.
Wild’s campaign is already marred by embarrassing gaffes. Wild apologized for her comments in a leaked call she made earlier this year, in which she said that the residents of Carbon County in her district – a Republican stronghold – “drank Trump Kool-Aid.”
Wild accidentally sent two Jewish constituents contradictory letters regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict in May. The Free Beacon reported that one letter supported Israel while the other demonized it.
No surprise, then, that Wild would receive stipends from labor unions. She has advocated for unions from her position on House Committee on Education and Labor. A representative of the Lehigh Valley Labor Council who attended the rally recently praised Wild’s statements made at a House Committee hearing earlier this year, where she fought the president of National Right to Work Committee. He testified for a bill which protects workers against being forced to pay dues to unions as a requirement of employment.
Wild was advertised by the AFL-CIO which is the union that oversees bricklayers.
AFL-CIO announced that “right after Labor Day, Team Wild will join labor unions in the state as they announce their public endorsement for Susan Wild for Congress PA-07” After the rally, Team Wild will knock on union doors to tell them how vital it is that they re-elect Rep. Wild in November.
At the rally, Wild was endorsed by around two dozen other unions. According to campaign disclosures, the bricklayers’ union has contributed $27.500 to Wild since 2018. Records show that the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW), which hosted the rally in its Allentown office and contributed $30,000 to Wild’s campaigns over the same period.
Wild’s Campaign and the Bricklayers Union did not respond to comments.
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