A Pennsylvania labor union aligned with Rep. Susan Wild offered members $100 to attend a campaign rally for the vulnerable House Democrat earlier this month, according to a leaked text message obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Wild later posted pictures of her posing with union members and thanked them for attending.
An official with the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers offered the stipend to union members to attend a "Labor Rally/Canvass Launch" on Sept. 7 in Allentown, the message shows.
"Wear your Union Colors and there will be a $100 stipend for those that would like to participate," wrote Randy Eberly, the secretary treasurer of the local chapter of the bricklayers union. He signed off the message with, "In Union Solidarity."
- Union members were offered $100 to attend a rally for Pennsylvania Democrat Susan Wild
Wild, who is running against Republican state representative Ryan Mackenzie, spoke to around 100 rally attendees, many wearing shirts that displayed their various union affiliations. "What a great way to kick off the morning!" she wrote on social media after the event. "THANK YOU to all the labor leaders, union members & volunteers who showed up today to talk about the stakes for working people in this election—and then went to knock some doors!"
It is unclear whether Wild was aware that stipends were offered to rally attendees. But the astroturfing campaign—in which groups pay people to attend events to create the false impression of grassroots support—comes as Wild faces one of the toughest reelection campaigns of any incumbent House Democrat. Wild narrowly won her race in 2022, and her district voted for Donald Trump in 2020.
- Rep. Susan Wild at a rally where union members were paid to show up (Twitter/WildForCongress)
Wild’s campaign has already been marred by a series of embarrassing flubs. Wild apologized at a debate on Sunday over her remarks in a leaked conference call earlier this year that residents of Carbon County, a Republican stronghold in her district, "drank the Trump Kool-Aid."
In May, Wild accidentally sent contradictory letters to two Jewish constituents regarding the Israel-Hamas war. One letter expressed support for Israel, while the other demonized the Jewish state, the Free Beacon reported.
It is no surprise that labor unions would dole out stipends on behalf of Wild. She has used her position on the House Committee on Education and Labor to advocate for union interests. An official with the Lehigh Valley Labor Council, which took part in the rally, recently praised Wild’s statements at a House committee hearing earlier this year in which she battled the president of the National Right to Work Committee, who testified in favor of a bill that protects workers from being forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment.
The AFL-CIO, which oversees the bricklayers unions, advertised the event for Wild.
"Right after Labor Day, join Team Wild as labor unions across the state announce their public endorsement of Susan Wild for Congress in PA-07," an AFL-CIO announcement says. "After the rally, we will go knock on doors and spread the word to union members about just how important it is to re-elect Rep. Wild this November!"
The bricklayers union and around two dozen others announced endorsements for Wild at the rally. The bricklayers union has donated $27,500 to Wild’s campaigns since 2018, according to campaign disclosures. The International Brotherhood of Electric Workers, which hosted the rally at its Allentown office, has contributed $30,000 to Wild over the same period, records show.
Wild’s campaign and the bricklayers union did not respond to requests for comment.