By Nicole Lewis l October 30, 2024

Days before one of the most consequential elections in recent history, it’s a good time to consider what’s at stake when it comes to racial and gender economic equality and worker empowerment.

You’ve heard the political rhetoric, but here’s a reality check.

Here are five things to keep in mind before you enter the voting booth:

• Immigration bolsters our economic well-being. Immigrants are an integral part of the U.S. economy. Immigration has led to better wages and work opportunities for U.S.-born workers and increased economic growth and human capital contributions across occupations and industries.
• Unions lift up workers. Unions have been important for promoting economic equality, building worker power, and improving working conditions. Unions have been critical to narrowing the pay gap between critical public-sector jobs (like local government workers and school staff) and the private sector.
• Abortion restrictions undercut women’s economic freedoms. States with more abortion restrictions have lower wages, weaker labor standards, and higher levels of incarceration.
• The U.S. economy is doing well. The economy today is extraordinarily strong by nearly every historical benchmark, including relative to the years immediately preceding the pandemic. Inflation-adjusted wages have reached a record high and have grown more rapidly since 2022 than before the pandemic.
• Public education is the bedrock of our children’s success. Since the early 2000s, many states have introduced harmful voucher programs to provide public financing for private school education. These voucher programs are deeply damaging to efforts to offer an excellent public education for all U.S. children. Public education is one of the most important achievements in our country’s history and is crucial for the social and economic welfare of future generations.