What America’s working class really wants, and why politicians keep ignoring them

Some wear red hats at political rallies, while others wear blue T-shirts at union protests. Deep down, they’re fighting for a shot at an American Dream that now feels more like a mirage.

Whether it’s United Auto Workers leaning into President Donald Trump’s message of “Make America Great Again” or Chicago public school educators digging into their pockets to buy supplies for vulnerable students, the working class represents an electorate long ignored by Washington.

Both Democrats and the Trump-informed Republican Party claim to champion workers, but working-class families nationwide still lack real, consistent representation in the halls of power.

I’ve seen it up close – alongside educators, higher education faculty, healthcare workers and public employees. I’ve also listened to factory workers, grocery clerks, long-haul drivers and warehouse staff. Whether in a union hall in the Rust Belt, a hospital in the Sunbelt, or a classroom in Detroit, the message is the same: working people feel unheard and undervalued.

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Labor unions, often demonized by big business and political operatives, are the sum of their parts: everyday working people striving for better. 

That includes cafeteria workers who kept schoolchildren fed during the pandemic, even when schools were closed; hospital technicians pulling overnight shifts so patients receive care; sanitation crews braving winter storms to keep cities clean; and adjunct professors educating future leaders while barely scraping by. These Americans come together not for power or profit but for dignity – fighting for better pay, safer conditions and a stable life.

But this isn’t just about unions. Millions of workers – unionized or not – are exhausted, underpaid and navigating broken systems. Yet, they remain the backbone of our economy. In fact, consumer spending by working– and middle-class families accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity – a staggering figure that underscores how deeply labor and livelihoods are tied to the nation’s financial health.

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Educators, from kindergarten teachers to adjunct professors, are still paid less than their peers in other fields while facing burnout. Healthcare workers are stretched thin in understaffed facilities. Public employees are asked to do more with less. Meanwhile, private-sector workers continue to face job insecurity, outsourcing and wage stagnation.

Though working-class voters across much of the South and Midwest helped send Donald Trump back to the White House, they also voted pretty clearly on the issues – including higher wages, paid leave, public schools and reproductive rights. 

On a recent visit to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – and at town halls across the country – I saw and heard the same thing: people are tired. Tired of broken promises. Tired of political theater. Tired of seeing their lives used as props during elections, only to be forgotten once the votes are counted.

The most powerful stories don’t come from podiums. They come from the nurses in North Carolina who are marching to the state Capitol to demand safer staffing. They also come from the stadium workers in Detroit who haven’t taken a sick day in years because missing a paycheck could mean missing rent.

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These aren’t abstract issues. They’re daily realities. And the people living them deserve more than lip service. Their perseverance, sacrifice and quiet acts of love should be at the center of our political conversations.

It’s time leaders started listening – not just during campaigns but always. The working class isn’t asking for much, just respect, a living wage, good schools, affordable healthcare and a dignified life.

That shouldn’t be too much to ask in the wealthiest country in the world. And yet, here we are.

The results of Missouri’s 2024 ballot measures, loudly and clearly, said what the people wanted. But too often, lawmakers choose special interests over the public interest.

Even with poll after poll showing American support for neighborhood public schools, members of Congress are pushing a national school choice bill that would drain public dollars into private institutions. If we want to rebuild trust in our democracy, we have to listen to the people who keep it running. The ones who teach, heal, build and serve. The people in red hats and blue T-shirts who, despite the noise, are more united than we think.

RICHARD FOWLER