By Ricky Dana, Candidate for U.S. House – Missouri’s 4th District
Unions built America’s middle class. They trained skilled workers, raised wages, won safer job sites, and made it possible to raise a family on honest work. I come from a working-class family right here in Missouri, and I know firsthand how important a fair wage and safe workplace are. I’m also a common-sense Democrat—someone who believes in protecting our core values while finding practical solutions that bring people together. That’s why I will stand with unions every time—because when workers have a fair voice on the job, Missouri families do better.
Today there is a clear divide. The Democratic Party continues to back workers’ rights and fair organizing rules. The other side—especially the MAGA wing of the Republican Party—is pushing policies that weaken, cancel, or block union protections. You can see it in actions, not slogans.
First, look at what the public understands: Americans say Democrats are the party that better represents union members. That is not spin; it reflects a long record of backing collective bargaining and workplace fairness, and it matches what families feel in their paychecks and safety on the job.
Second, look at the rules on the ground. Under Democratic leadership, federal labor authorities moved to speed up and protect fair union elections and recognition, so workers are not stalled or silenced by delay tactics. Those changes help level the playing field and make sure organizing is a real right, not just a talking point.
Third, look at wages. “Right-to-work” laws—pushed most often by Republican legislatures—do not raise pay. Research shows wages and benefits are lower in right-to-work states. Those laws make it harder for workers to stick together, and the result is weaker bargaining and thinner paychecks for union and non-union workers alike. That hurts small towns and local businesses up and down Missouri’s 4th District.
Finally, look at what MAGA Republicans are doing with federal workers right now. Agencies have been canceling union contracts and stripping protections for hundreds of thousands of employees, from the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Environmental Protection Agency and FEMA. These moves come under executive orders that claim “national security” while tearing up agreements that help frontline staff do their jobs safely and speak up when something’s wrong. That is not how you build a strong workforce or serve veterans and taxpayers—it’s how you silence people who know where systems are breaking.
Here’s the bottom line: Democrats are working to protect your right to organize and bargain; MAGA Republicans are trying to unwind it. If they can weaken unions in Washington, they will try to export those attacks to states like Missouri. We cannot let that happen.
When I’m elected as your congressman, I will fight for working people, not party bosses or big donors. I will support legislation that protects collective bargaining, oppose efforts to cancel or sidestep union contracts, and resist any push to pass nationwide “right-to-work.” I will back fair rules at the National Labor Relations Board, defend whistleblowers and safety committees, and make sure taxpayer-funded contractors follow the law—no union busting on the public’s dime. Most of all, I will listen to the workers who keep our farms, factories, hospitals, and schools running in Missouri’s 4th District.
Strong unions mean strong communities. That’s the choice in front of us—and I’m on the side of Missouri’s working families.
Sources:
Gallup: Democratic Party Seen as Better for Union Members (Sept. 9, 2024)
NLRB: New framework for union representation (Cemex decision, Aug. 25, 2023)
Economic Policy Institute: Research on right-to-work laws and wages
EPI: Right-to-work states have lower wages (overview)
POLITICO: EPA cancels contracts with unions (Aug. 8, 2025)