Election 2016: Members Speak Out
Emir Hinojosa
Local 13-1
Emir Hinojosa, 28, of Houston, works for Shell Oil, which operates a fully integrated refinery and petrochemical plant on the Houston Ship Channel. He is a steward with Local 13-1 and has been a member of the USW for three years.
“Listening to the things Donald Trump says, I find them to be poisonous to our communities. He brings out the worst in a lot of people, and we don’t need that.
“Trump’s position on unions would be a disaster for the union movement as a whole in this nation. His policy on right-to-work would put unions at a great disadvantage. If we have to represent people without funding, that could break us financially. I live in a right-to-work state, and we have free riders that we must represent even though they don’t pay union dues.
“I was a Bernie supporter, but that went under and now I’m supporting Hillary Clinton. I think she’s the right person for the job, I honestly do. She has a steady record with unions. She is against the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
“I really like her plan to rebuild our infrastructure and bring jobs back here. It will put money back into workers’ pockets and into the community. With stronger unions we would have a stronger middle class, a more empowered middle class because of our voice in Washington.”
