Rally in Shenandoah supports labor and unions
The miners portrayed in the monument and their families would relate to today's immigrants who also came here working to make better lives for themselves and their families, Lamb said.
He also said the miners would also support today's labor unions, which they helped create.
'Whose side would they be on?,' Lamb asked.
The Pittsburgh Democrat was speaking at the Schuylkill Rally to Support Worker's Rights, an event designed to advocate for livable wages, the right to organize, safety enforcement and other labor causes.
Former Congressman Conor Lamb speaks during a labor rally at the Anthracite Miners Memorial in Girard Park in Shenandoah, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
Staged by the Schuylkill County Democratic Committee, the event drew about 60 people and featured Lamb and officials from about a half-dozen local unions.
Lamb, a Marine and former assistant U.S. attorney, represented the 17th District in Congress but did not seek re-election to his House seat in 2022 in order to run for the Senate election in Pennsylvania. He finished second in the Democratic primary to eventual winner John Fetterman, and is now in private law practice.
On Saturday Lamb asked how many blue-collar workers, whom President Donald Trump had promised during his campaign to focus on, have benefitted from Trump's last seven months in office.
More likely, he said, they have suffered from Trump's actions such as removing people from their health insurance, pushing legislation that threatens the future of hospitals and nursing homes, and therefore jeopardizing the jobs of many union workers, Lamb said.
Health care is an industry that employs many blue-collar voters, Lamb said.
'But he (Trump) is taking a sledgehammer to it,' he said.
Trump has broken his vows to side with the working class and instead is working for the elites, Lamb said.
'He picked Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos and himself, not the people of Schuylkill County,' he said.
Liz Bettinger with United Steelworkers speaks during a labor rally at the Anthracite Miners Memorial in Girard Park in Shenandoah, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
Among the union leaders who spoke was Liz Bettinger of the United Steelworkers, who said that by diminishing safety net programs such as Medicaid and food stamps, the Trump administration was weakening communities.
Pennsylvania State Education Association representative Enzo Capozzelli said that Democrats have historically been the pro-union party and continue to be, something that union workers should consider when voting if they want to hold on to their collective bargaining rights, have job security, earn living wages, and a have a dignified retirement.
Ron Stabinksy with the United Mine Workers speak sduring a labor rally at the Anthracite Miners Memorial in Girard Park in Shenandoah, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
United Mineworkers official Ron Stabinsky said by cutting federal job safety positions from offices such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Trump is putting American workers at risk, including coal miners.
Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess spoke about the importance of organized labor, not just for union members, but for American workers in general, and how it was important to vote for candidates that are pro-union.
Among those attending the rally was Jenn Brothers, a former corrections officer from Susquehanna County, who as a Democrat is challenging Republican Dan Meuser for his 9th Congressional District seat.
Jenn Brothers, a candidate for Congress, attends a labor rally at the Anthracite Miners Memorial in Girard Park in Shenandoah, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
'Labor unions built our country,' she said in support of the rally's message.
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