Former Union Leader: “Working class needs allies like Kaptur”

Former Union Leader: "Working class needs allies like Kaptur"

October 22, 2026

"She came out swinging on our behalf"

COLUMBUS, OH - As Washington Republicans slash taxes for billionaires and corporate special interests while Ohio families foot the bill, Ohioans are praising Rep. Marcy Kaptur for making "the needs of working people her top priority." Today, the former president of United Steelworkers Local 1-346 published a letter to the editor in the Toledo Blade highlighting how Rep. Kaptur has fought alongside Ohio workers "time and again for worker safety," whether it's standing alongside Ohioans at the picket line or standing up to corrupt leaders in Washington who cater to "the billionaire class at the expense of working people."

The author singles out Rep. Kaptur as "an outlier in a Congress dominated by multimillionaires," and that unlike those who "hide out in Washington and cavort with big donors, Marcy remains visible and accessible," and has "never been more than a phone call away." He highlighted her record of sponsoring "historic legislation to bolster labor rights and create jobs," supporting strong trade enforcement, and backing "comprehensive supports for workers who lost jobs to trade cheaters."

As a lifelong fighter for Ohio workers, Rep. Kaptur has earned the largest coalition of labor support in this race. Unions are lining up alongside her including ACT Ohio, AFSCME Power in Action, Amalgamated Transit Union, Association of Flight Attendants, IAFF Local 92, Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Ohio Brotherhood of Carpenters, Ohio Conference of Teamsters, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Nurses Association, Painters & Allied Trades District Council No. 6 State of Ohio and Central Kentucky, Service Employees International Union, UA Local 50 Plumbers, Steamfitters & Service Mechanics, United Auto Workers, and United Steel Workers.

Read more from the former president of United Steelworkers Local 1-346 about Rep. Kaptur's record as a fighter for working Ohioans:

Toledo Blade: To the editor: Working class needs allies like Kaptur

• U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur showed up unannounced, without fanfare, at the United Steelworkers Local 1-346 hall after a fire claimed two union members at the BP-Husky Toledo refinery four years ago.
• She offered sympathy and support. She asked what we needed. And later, when it really mattered, she came out swinging on our behalf.
• Marcy and a handful of other key lawmakers repeatedly stepped up in recent years and foiled President Trump's efforts to kill the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, or CSB, a small, highly regarded agency that investigates chemical-related disasters, identifies the root causes of these tragedies, and recommends safety improvements.
• Over the years, Marcy sponsored historic legislation to bolster labor rights and create jobs. She supported strong trade enforcement to safeguard our livelihoods and backed comprehensive supports for workers who lost jobs to trade cheaters.
• She stood with Local 1-346 members during the USW's unfair labor practice strike against Big Oil in 2015, and she joined union members on the picket line this year during a dispute with Libbey Glass in Toledo.
• Most important, she fought with us time and again for worker safety, always demanding that companies, regulatory agencies, and fellow elected officials do more to ensure workers return home safely at the end of every shift.
• Marcy's everyday sensibilities make her more and more of an outlier in a Congress dominated by multimillionaires, many of whom have personal reasons for lavishing tax breaks on the wealthy, helping corporations cut corners and ignoring the affordability crisis.
• Unlike many other representatives who like to hide out in Washington and cavort with big donors, Marcy remains visible and accessible. In the 20 years I've known her as a constituent and local union leader, she's never been more than a phone call away.
• The CSB saves lives and protects communities. But it can only do that as long as working people have allies like Marcy fighting alongside us in Congress.

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