Yesterday, DNC Chair Ken Martin underlined Democrats’ commitment to working Americans in a new memo ahead of his first trip as Chair of the Democratic National Committee, which included a roundtable in Pittsburgh with United Steelworkers. In the memo, Chair Martin warns of the Trump administration’s attacks on workers’ rights and its effects on hardworking Americans and their families — all so that Trump and his billionaire backers can enrich themselves. Trump’s Project 2025 agenda is making it harder for workers to unionize, further tearing away the power of the NLRB and rolling back bedrock worker protections that have been in place for 60 years. 

In sharp contrast, Chair Martin emphasized that Democrats must be the party of working people and unite behind the kitchen table issues that connect us all. 

Take a look at some of the coverage below: 

The Guardian: DNC chair outlines pro-worker, union focus in first memo in fight against Trump

[Michael Sainato, 2/18/25]

“The newly elected chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, has warned his party that the Republicans are now seen as the party of the working class and vowed to win back the trust of American workers as the Democrats seek to rebuild after their losses in the 2024 presidential election.

“In his first memo in the role, seen by the Guardian, Martin said, after the election, ‘for the first time in modern history, Americans now see the Republicans as the party of the working class and Democrats as the party of the elites.’ …

“During his first presidential term, Martin noted Trump created offshoring incentives for corporations, stacked federal courts with appointees who attacked collective bargaining rights and attacked union workers on several occasions, claiming striking workers should be fired and calling firefighter union leaders ‘dues-sucking people.’

“‘Trump’s administration includes more billionaires than any other in

American history, with a combined net worth that exceeds the GDP of 172

different countries. These appointees bring damning anti-union, anti-worker

records that mirror Trump’s own,’ Martin added. …

“The memo cited several Trump appointees with records of opposing workers’ rights, including Trump’s interior secretary, Doug Burgum, who opposed the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips Act over labor protections included in the bill; billionaire Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick for commerce secretary, whose real estate firm has promoted offshoring jobs to Mexico to corporations; and education secretary and billionaire Linda McMahon, who supports defunding public education, where 70% of teachers are unionized compared with 11% at private charter schools, and dismantling the US Department of Education.

“The memo also discusses Elon Musk’s long record of attacking workers at his own businesses, including at Tesla, SpaceX and X when he bought Twitter, and emphasizes the destructive policies outlined in Project 2025, the rightwing blueprint drawn up ahead of Trump’s re-election. …

“‘Unions protect workers regardless of identity, offer a pathway to the middle class, and raise standards for union and non-union members alike. Trump’s continued Project 2025 threats to unions are a direct attack on the wellbeing of working families everywhere,’ Martin concluded. ‘As I take over as chair of the DNC, union workers and labor leaders will be core to my decision-making. As Trump wages his war on working families, Democrats will fiercely answer the call to my favorite old union song, Which Side Are You On? I’ll tell you what: Democrats are on the side of the worker. We will show Americans every day that workers in fact do have more power than any billionaire.’”

The Hill: New DNC chair: Union workers, labor leaders will be ‘core to my decision-making’

[Tara Suter, 2/18/25] 

“New Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said Tuesday that union workers and labor leaders will be ‘core to my decision-making.’

“‘As Trump wages his war on working families, Democrats will fiercely answer the call to my favorite old union song, ‘Which Side Are You On?’ I’ll tell you what: Democrats are on the side of the worker,’ he said. ‘We will show Americans every day that workers in fact do have more power than any billionaire.’ …

“‘I fundamentally believe that our party is grounded in the values, principles, and aspirations of the working class,’ Martin said in his Tuesday memo.

“‘As Chair of the DNC, that belief will guide my decisions and approach in the years ahead. In contrast, in only his first month in office, it’s become abundantly clear Donald Trump doesn’t give a damn about the kitchen-table issues that matter to most Americans,’ he added.”

Washington Post: Martin heads to Pennsylvania to win back workers

[Patrick Svitek, Meryl Kornfield and Jacob Bogage, 2/18/25]

“Ken Martin is making his first major trip today as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee — and the symbolism couldn’t be clearer. …

“‘As the Trump agenda fails our nation’s working communities, we have to take seriously the job of repairing and restoring the perceptions of our party and our brand,’ Martin said in a long memo ahead of his trip that was obtained by The Early Brief. ‘It’s time to remind working Americans — and also show them every day — that the Democratic Party always has been and always will be the party of the worker.’ …

“In the memo, Martin promised that ‘union workers and labor leaders will be core to my decision-making’ as DNC chair.”

Washington Examiner: Ken Martin targets labor in first trip as DNC chairman

[Jack Birle, 2/18/25]

“‘So, as the Trump agenda fails our nation’s working communities, we have to take seriously the job of repairing and restoring the perceptions of our party and our brand. It’s time to remind working Americans — and also show them every day — that the Democratic Party always has been and always will be the party of the worker,’ Martin said.

“He used the memo to rail against Trump’s policies, outlining how he believes they are harmful to unions and take sides with billionaires, rather than the working class.

“‘As Democrats, it is our responsibility to stand up for working people and unite behind the kitchen table issues that connect us all. As I take over as Chair of the DNC, union workers and labor leaders will be core to my decision-making,’ Martin said in the memo.

“‘As Trump wages his war on working families, Democrats will fiercely answer the call to my favorite old union song, “Which Side Are You On?” I’ll tell you what: Democrats are on the side of the worker. We will show Americans every day that workers in fact do have more power than any billionaire,’ he added.”