global 4.6
September 7, 2026 · Newsletter
Remembering Anthony Elrod.
Today, I had the honor of speaking at the North Florida Central Labor Council’s press conference to honor our working families.
Sadly, today’s Congress caters only to the greedy billionaires and the Epstein-class.
Members of Congress — including our opponent John Rutherford — turn a blind eye to massive corruption while enriching themselves through insider stock trades.
They’d rather crash our economy with tax breaks for billionaires and unwinnable forever wars.
They could care less about working-class families earning low wages, paying more for gas and groceries, and losing their healthcare coverage.
As long as the CEOs and shareholders are happy, they think they can continue their corruption with the help of their corporate donors.
Watch Rachel’s Labor Day speech here.
Nothing demonstrates how this works better than BAE Systems and John Rutherford here in Jacksonville.
Earlier this year 25-year-old Anthony Elrod was killed while conducting maintenance at BAE’s Jacksonville shipyard. [1]
Elrod’s death has been called a “preventable workplace disaster” and workers began organizing to form a union demanding safer workplace conditions.
But BAE fought the Boilermakers union’s attempt to organize and even laid off 200 workers in retaliation. [2]
→ BAE made $2.7 billion in profit last year
→ $12.6 billion in federal contracts last year
→ BAE paid out $2 billion in stock buybacks and dividends last year
→ Their CEO earned $17 million. [3] [4]
Our opponent Rep. John Rutherford sits on the House Appropriations subcommittee for the Department of Homeland Security — the very committee that awards many of BAE’s contracts.
And, of course, Rutherford owns stock in BAE. [5]
So when workers exercise their constitutional right to form a union over “dangerous and unsafe conditions”, war-profiteers like John Rutherford do not stand with workers.
They stand with the $17-million-per-year CEO and his “union busting” thugs.
Not only does John Rutherford make money off BAE Systems, he also takes money from them via thousands in corporate donations to his campaign. [6] [7]
We stand with the workers and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and their demands for a safe workplace.
We are beyond proud to have earned the endorsement of the Florida AFL-CIO and look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight for workers’ rights and accountability.
Florida families are fed up with the rising costs, immense corruption, and exhausting chaos caused by the likes of John Rutherford.
As the great Jacksonville labor leader A. Philip Randolph said:
“If someone tries to deprive you of your rights, you’ve got to resist it. You’ve got to resent it. You’ve got to fight against it.”
It’s time to resist, resent and fight!
In solidarity — Rachel Grage