Mission Five: Supporting Labor and Working Families
Objective:
Fight for the wages, protections, and opportunities that Long Island’s working people have earned, and build an economy where a union card still means a path to the middle class.
Why This Mission Matters:
Long Island was not built by hedge funds or lobbyists. It was built by ironworkers and nurses, teachers and sanitation workers, home health aides and electricians, firefighters and construction crews who showed up every day and built something worth living in.
Those workers are getting squeezed.
Wages that haven’t kept pace with housing costs. Benefits that are disappearing. Employers who misclassify workers to dodge protections they’re legally owed. A federal government that has too often sided with corporations at the bargaining table instead of the people sitting across from them.
Chris Gallant isn’t coming to the labor movement as an outsider making promises. He’s an air traffic controller and firefighter. A union member. Someone who has sat in the meetings, worked the shifts, and understands that a union contract isn’t just about wages, it’s about dignity, safety, healthcare, retirement security, and the basic guarantee that if you show up and do the work, the system won’t cheat you out of what you earned.
With the support of unions like 1199SEIU, whose members are the backbone of healthcare and essential work across New York, Chris will go to Washington as a congressman who knows which side he’s on.
Congressional Action Plan:
Support union apprenticeship programs that train the next generation of skilled workers.
Expand workforce development grants for young people, veterans, and career changers.
Bring federal infrastructure projects to Long Island that create good-paying local jobs.
Protect collective bargaining rights and oppose efforts to weaken unions.
Support legislation that strengthens workplace safety and worker protections.
Invest in manufacturing, clean energy, construction, healthcare, and skilled trades.
Fight for fair wages, strong benefits, and safe working conditions.
Support project labor agreements for federally funded infrastructure projects.
Expand job training programs connected to real employment opportunities.
Strengthen protections against wage theft, misclassification, and unfair labor practices.
Support healthcare workers, home care workers, public employees, and essential workers who keep Long Island moving.
Create stronger pathways from military service into union careers and apprenticeships.
Union and Worker Focus:
Chris knows that unions are not just about wages. They are about dignity, safety, stability, healthcare, retirement security, and a fair shot at the middle class.
That is why his campaign is proud to stand with working people and labor allies like 1199SEIU, whose members represent the heart of public service, healthcare, and essential work across New York. These are the workers who showed up during the hardest moments, cared for our families, and kept communities safe.
In Congress, Chris will make sure Long Island workers have a seat at the table, not just corporations, lobbyists, and special interests.
Mission Success Metrics:
✅ More union apprenticeships
✅ Higher wages for working families
✅ Stronger workforce pipeline
✅ More local jobs through federal infrastructure investments
✅ Protected collective bargaining rights
✅ Safer workplaces
✅ Stronger support for healthcare and essential workers
✅ More career pathways for veterans and young people
Mission Bottom Line:
Long Island workers deserve more than empty promises. Chris Gallant will fight for union jobs, fair wages, safer workplaces, and a stronger economy that rewards the people who actually keep Long Island running. In Congress, Long Island workers will have a seat at the table. Not a photo op. Not a campaign promise. A seat at the actual table, with a congressman who knows the difference between standing with labor and just saying he does.
Long Island workers built this place. Chris Gallant will fight to make sure they can afford to stay in it.
