Dear Brothers and Sisters:
My name is Trudy Busch Valentine, and I am asking for your vote on November 8 to become
Missouri’s next United States Senator. I’m a nurse, a mother, a grandmother, and a
fourth-generation Missourian, and I’m running to put politics as usual aside and put people first.
That includes all the union workers who make our country great and have fought to make
America the land of opportunity and prosperity. Allow me to explain why I’d be honored to earn
your vote.
At every step over generations, organized labor has fought to secure humane work hours and
basic workplace safety protections. They have championed the right of women to receive equal
pay for equal work. They have raised the floor on wages and benefits for all workers, and they
have been invaluable in strengthening the middle class.
I saw firsthand the power of labor unions when I was a child and watched my father, Gussie
Busch, work alongside the Teamsters to build the world’s biggest brewery right here in Missouri.
He understood the dignity that comes along with a job that paid fair wages, offered good
benefits, and protected the health and safety of employees. For him, these weren’t just business
decisions. It was the morally right thing to do, and I’m so proud of that.
I’m running for Senate because I want to fight back against the war on unions, work in solidarity
with labor to expand worker protections, and preserve the American Dream for all of us. That
means an honest wage for a hard day’s work, being able to support your family with a
good-paying job (not three underpaid jobs), not having to choose between groceries and
prescription drugs, access to quality and affordable healthcare, and the ability to pass on a better
life to our children.
But right now we are seeing too many threats to that dream. Two out of every three Americans
are living paycheck to paycheck. Wages haven’t kept pace with inflation, and the minimum wage
has not been raised since 2009. Too many working families pay more in taxes than wealthy
corporations. Social Security and Medicare are under attack, leaving too many retired workers
anxious for their futures. And just when we need the power of collective bargaining the most,
labor unions are under attack from anti-worker politicians like my opponent, who has supported
harmful legislation like Right to Work laws.
But make no mistake – Missouri is a strong labor state. In 2018, we defeated the anti-labor union
“Right to Work” movement (or “Right to Work For Less,” as I call it) by a two-to-one margin.

Missourians sent a resounding message to the nation, and we can do it again this November by
electing a pro-worker candidate like myself. In the Senate, I will be a champion for passing the
PRO Act. I will protect prevailing wages. I will support raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hr.
And I will make sure the ultra-wealthy and major corporations pay their fair share. You can always
count on me to stand up to anti-labor forces and serve with honesty, integrity, decency, and
compassion as nobody’s senator but yours!
I will never forget that it was labor unions whose members fought, bled, and even died to give us
things some people today take for granted: the 40-hour workweek, safer workplaces, and
healthcare and secure retirement for millions of families. Let’s remember that the power of
organizing is our best and only hope to guarantee the promise of the American Dream for future
generations. Now, more than ever, we need leaders who will put the needs of working families
and middle-class Missourians first. That’s just what I’ll do.
So, on November 8, I humbly ask for your vote to become the next senator from Missouri. When
unions come together and fight, workers win. And together, we can make our state and our
country the land of opportunity and hope again.

In solidarity,

Trudy Busch Valentine