The “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness and Security” bus tour made its first stop outside of Washington, D.C., in Newport News, Virginia, on Saturday for a rally with the United Steelworkers (USW) to demand an end to the Trump administration’s attacks on veterans’ benefits and workplace protections.
More than 100 union members attended the rally, waving American flags and holding signs calling for freedom and security. At the rally, union leaders and elected officials spoke about how the Trump administration’s gutting of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will harm working families in Newport News and around the country. The speakers included USW International Vice President at Large Roxanne D. Brown, USW International Vice President (Human Affairs) Kevin Mapp, USW District 8 Director Larry Ray, USW Local 8888 President Charles Spivey, Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (Va.).
The USW represents thousands of shipbuilders at the Newport News shipyard—many of them veterans who made great sacrifices to earn medical and other benefits that the Trump administration threatens to cut. Local 8888 members also face new risks on the job because of DOGE’s efforts to gut agencies such as OSHA.
“We understand that all workers deserve dignity, both on the job and in their retirement,” said Ray, who leads tens of thousands of USW members in Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia. “Here in District 8 and across our labor movement, these shared values serve as the bedrock of our power.”
“Our veterans put their lives on the line for us. It’s unconscionable for Trump to turn his back on these heroes—but that’s exactly what he’s doing to all of the people who do the hard work of powering this country,” Brown said.
The bus is heading to North Carolina today for its next stop in Charlotte, a press conference at the NAACP convention.