Voters living throughout Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District will have a choice this election and decide which side they are on.
US Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), who has a long track record of supporting anti-union legislation while serving in the Pennsylvania House, is running against Bob Brooks, a retired 20-year firefighter and union leader. Political forecasters consider Mackenzie one of the most vulnerable lawmakers in the country.
“ Ryan Mackenzie has constantly used his elected position to undermine workers’ rights. Whether it be safe workplace regulations like OSHA, whether it be the ability to join and form a union, whether it be passing right-to-work legislation,” Steve Catanese, president of Service Employees International Union Local 668, said in an interview.
“ It’s just one of the reasons why he, in my opinion, should be unfit for the office that he holds,” he added.
According to Catanese, who represents roughly 20,000 workers across the commonwealth in state, county, and other local offices, his members are enthusiastically supporting Brooks this fall.
“Our members are excited about Bob Brooks and his candidacy. It’s not often they have an opportunity to see one of their own, someone they know who’s actually had a track record of fighting for them, get a shot to go to DC and continue that fight,” Catanese said.
“Across all the SEIU locals in Pennsylvania, there was a real energy, and a lot of folks went out and knocked doors and tried to make sure people understood what was at stake in this election for them.”
Mackenzie was elected to the Pennsylvania House through a special election in 2012, and quickly became an advocate for turning Pennsylvania into a right-to-work state. This was at a time when Republican legislatures across the Midwest were racing to pass those laws in their home states.
“I came into office last year in a special election, and now I serve on a number of committees. One of the committees I’m on is the Labor Committee,” Mackenzie told Berks County Patriots at a 2013 forum.
He added, “I’m the vice chair of the Labor and Industry Committee. So bills that come before that committee, which I’m a strong advocate of, are things like changing our prevailing wage requirements here in Pennsylvania and also getting Pennsylvania to be a right-to-work state.”
According to his campaign, Mackenzie stands by his legislative record.
“Congressman Mackenzie maintains that freedom of association is an important component of American society and workers’ rights,” Arnaud Armstrong, Communications Director for Mackenzie, said in a statement. “Individuals should have the freedom to choose to join or not join certain organizations. As an elected official, he has always fought – and will continue to fight – for a fair and level playing field for all workers.”
Right-to-work laws undermine the ability of workers to form unions and collectively bargain contracts, and reduce unions’ ability to provide services to members by preventing workplaces from requiring employees to join a union and pay dues. They create systems where non-paying dues members benefit from union protections.
From 2013 to 2017, Mackenzie signed on to legislation attempting to turn Pennsylvania into a right-to-work state or undermine public sector union rights 15 times.
“As a union advocate, I have a problem with it. We’ve tried over the last couple years to engage with Mackenzie and get him to see things differently. Unfortunately, he continues to choose the side of the company,” Michael Shupp, president of United Auto Workers Local 677, said in an interview.
“In our dealings, he’s never done something strictly for workers in this state, and that’s part of the picture that you see through his voting records.”
Shupp represents close to 2,300 employees at the Mack Trucks plant near Allentown, which is where President Donald Trump held a campaign style rally that featured the freshman lawmaker.
“ Trump was there solely to campaign on behalf of Ryan McKenzie. You could tell through his speech it was about bragging about what he’s done, and then arguing why we got to elect Ryan McKenzie,” Shupp said.
He added, “[Trump] wasn’t there to support American jobs. He bragged about how he saw his tariffs had stopped work from going overseas, and it even brought it back. But it was hypocritical to say that in a facility that is actively moving work to Mexico.”
