The Labor Movement and Alabama's Upcoming Municipal Elections

On August 26, cities and towns across Alabama will hold municipal elections—choosing mayors, councilmembers, and other local officials who make decisions that affect our daily lives. Too often, these elections come and go with little fanfare. But if you're a working person in Alabama, this election matters.

Local governments decide how public money is spent while influencing what kind of jobs are created—and whether working families can thrive in their own communities. As the regional federation of local labor unions, the North Alabama Area Labor Council encourages our members and all working class Alabamians to get engaged and demand officials who will represent the interests of everyday working people.

As union members, we know that local politics isn’t just about potholes and parades. It's about whether city contracts go to low-road contractors or to employers who pay fair wages. It’s about whether public employees are respected, or sidelined and silenced. It's about whether development enriches a few, or lifts up the many.

Organized labor has always fought for dignity, safety, and justice for working people. That fight doesn’t stop at the workplace door. It includes city halls, school boards, and planning commissions.

We believe local governments must do more to put working people at the center of policy—not as an afterthought, but as a driving force.

What does that look like?

In Alabama, local officials can choose to adopt policies that:

• Ensure city and school workers earn a living wage and have a voice on the job;
• Use public money for the public good, awarding public projects to contractors who follow safety, wage, and apprenticeship standards;
• Fund public transit and infrastructure that connects working-class communities to jobs;
• Promote apprenticeship readiness and workforce development tied to good union jobs;
• Support tenant protections, recognizing housing as a worker issue too;
• Invite labor voices to the table—not just developers and lobbyists—when making major decisions, including through boards and commissions.

We are calling on all candidates to listen to workers, to meet with labor unions, and to put the needs of working-class people first.

And we’re calling on union members, and every working person in North Alabama, to get involved. Don’t sit this election out. Vote on August 26. Ask questions. Hold candidates accountable. And even consider running for something yourself next time.

If working people don’t speak up in local elections, we can’t be surprised when our needs are ignored. But when we organize, we can build cities where labor is respected, public services are strong, and prosperity is shared.

Let’s make sure this election is a step in that direction.