SENATOR TESTER'S WORK ON BEHALF OF MONTANA'S WORKERS: A GUIDE

Montana needs serious people who respect workers, understand how inflation and housing costs impact our communities, listen to our needs and fight for us at the national level to make sure that our money and labor aren’t used to make the rich richer at the expensive of Montanans.

This is an election about Montana, not political parties or personalities. This is an election about who will advocate for us, when no one else will.

In June workers from across the state came together to identify and endorse candidates from all parties who are good people fighting for what’s right for their communities and our state.

One, above everyone else, has the track record, the ability, and the courage to stand up for us.

That candidate is Jon Tester.

Sen. Tester has fought for Montana in the US Senate and without him important advocacy and accountability checks on both parties would have been lost over the previous 18 years. Through his work in the US Senate, Tester has fought to make sure Montana is represented in Washington and large corporations who want to buy our elections or appropriate our tax dollars for their own gain are stopped.

Here are just a few of the ways that Senator Tester has advocated for Montana.

In 2018 when Boilermakers Local D-239 in Three Forks was locked out, Jon Tester rallied with us, signed and sent letters of support and celebrated with us when our fellow union members notched a solid win and went back to work.
He worked with Republicans to pass and sign into law the PACT Act. This law ensures veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their service can get the health care they need and have earned.
Tester understands that drug costs are too high and too many Montanans are forced to choose between paying for groceries or paying for medication. He helped pass a law to lower prescription drug costs for seniors and wrote the bill cracking down on drug company price gouging that capped insulin at 35 dollars.
Jon Tester and a bipartisan group of Senators passed the biggest investments in America’s infrastructure and our industrial future in generations, with its powerful “Buy America” rules to grow US manufacturing; the Inflation Reduction Act, which brings manufacturing back on-shore and reduces prescription drug prices; and the CHIPS Act, which will train a new generation of union manufacturing and construction workers.
Sen. Jon Tester was an early co-sponsor of the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to level the playing field for workers to organize around the country, and is working to ensure federal dollars become union jobs all across the state.
Senator Tester continues to champion legislation supporting firefighter health and safety, including cancer protections and increased funding for the Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB) program, which directly supports the families of fallen first responders.
Senator Tester understands what it means to support those who protect our communities. Jon helped secure $4.4 million in Bozeman for firefighter hiring and $7 million for Missoula firefighters. He recently pushed for a bill to increase pay for wildland firefighters and sponsored legislation for fire station infrastructure and training facilities. His work isn’t just about policy—he knows how vital these resources are to Montana and our firefighters.

Senator Tester has also fought to protect rural healthcare and prevent the privatization of rural hospitals, securing access to reproductive healthcare, making Montana more affordable for nurses, and protecting union rights and our voice on the job. The PACT Act not only ensures veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their service can get the health care they need and have earned, but also gives the VA more authority to hire nurses.

Affordable communities are what unions across the state are fighting for everyday. We all deserve the right to live, work, and retire with dignity in our communities. But too often, large corporations only care about making a profit for the very rich. We need a strong advocate who isn't afraid to stand up and say enough is enough.

Senator Tester has been a leading voice for housing affordability in the Senate and has led the effort on key pieces of legislation that could be undermined without his leadership and continued presence in the Senate.

These include:

The End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act would impose strict taxes on hedge funds and wealthy Wall Street investment companies to stop them from acquiring single-family homes in order to jack up prices.
The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act, which would put homeownership in reach for more Montana families by establishing a refundable tax credit worth up to 10% of a home’s purchase price — up to a maximum of $15,000 — for first-time homebuyers.
The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Act — legislation that would revitalize Montana’s affordable housing supply by establishing a manufactured housing community improvement grant program.
The Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2023 — legislation which would improve federal rural housing programs, cut government red tape, and strengthen the supply of affordable housing across Montana.
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Tester has consistently worked to provide funding for housing programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program that are critically important for developing and maintaining workforce housing.

There is much more work to be done. But because Sen. Tester is fighting for us, Montana's workers have someone we can rely on to continue the fight against corporate greed and corporate monopolies. That is why workers across the state endorsed Jon Tester this summer and why we need your help to return him to the Senate. Volunteer information for each of our Days of Action are available below!