Harrison Hiner, a labor activist and full-employment advocate from Texas, looks back on his decision to create a Super Political Action Committee.
By HARRISON HINER
Super PACs have a bad reputation, and understandably so. Wealthy corporations and financial groups regularly use super PACs to spend large sums of money to influence the outcomes of elections in their favor.
But contrary to the negative uses of super PACs, progressive groups, labor unions, and Democratic organizations are using Super PACs to educate and mobilize voters around various issues and increase voter turnout for worker-friendly candidates.
When I started Full Employment Now-Political Action Committee back in 2016, I was asked: “Why did you start a Super PAC to fight for a federal jobs program? Why not start a think tank, a policy organization, or a 501c3?” My response was simple, “We must elect members of Congress who support a federal jobs program and un-elect those who don’t.”
FEN-PAC is a grassroots independent expenditure political action committee, better known as a Super PAC. FEN-PAC’s mission is to use the electoral process to influence the U.S. Congress and our president to pass a federal jobs program that will create living-wage jobs for all.
Throughout our existence, FEN-PAC has worked to educate and mobilize voters around a federal jobs program. Our work has included door-to-door canvassing, digital organizing, voter education, and advocacy training.
Voters Overwhelming Support a Federal Jobs Program
My experience as a lobbyist and political organizer for labor unions has taught me a valuable lesson. And that is, politicians almost always support a policy if it will help them win re-election. For that reason, Congress and President Biden should definitely support a permanent federal jobs program.
Polling shows that 79 percent of voters support a federal jobs program, and that includes 53 percent support among Republican voters. Voters across race, geography, and even political parties support this issue. However, polling data alone will not influence our government to pass a permanent federal jobs program.
Leading up to the 2022 election cycle, FEN-PAC will be organizing voters to pressure Congressional candidates and incumbents to publicly support a federal jobs program.
President Biden recently announced his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan that will create an estimated 2.4 million jobs over the next 10 years. Without a doubt, Biden’s job plan is a big step in the right direction and is reminiscent of the New Deal era. However, more needs to be done to guarantee employment for all those in need during good and bad economic times. Even with the passage of Biden’s job plan, our country still needs a permanent federal jobs program.
The 2022 election cycle is a critical opportunity to mobilize voters and push Congress and the president to go even further on creating good jobs for all!
Full Employment Now-Political Action Committee (FEN-PAC) Founder and Executive Director Harrison Hiner has been involved in grassroots politics and the labor movement for 12 years. His work includes lobbying, directing political campaigns, and union organizing in both the public and private sectors.
To learn more about FEN-PAC or to donate, visit: www.fenpac.org.