Trivedi Wins Endorsement of Reading Education Association, Has Support of Teachers

While Gerlach Has Received Backing of Educators in the Past, Teachers Now Behind Trivedi

ELVERSON, Pa. – Confirming that teachers have come together behind Trivedi’s campaign, the Reading Education Association (REA) has announced today their strong endorsement of Manan Trivedi, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. While Congressman Jim Gerlach has received endorsements from educators’ unions in the past, they have seen over the years what Congressman Gerlach does when he goes to Washington.

The REA, the Reading arm of the National Education Association, has joined the American Federation of Teachers in throwing their influential backing behind Trivedi. This endorsement only adds to the momentum the Trivedi campaign has moving into the final month, after weeks of TV advertising and a massive grassroots network contacting voters.

“Educators craft our nation’s future,” Trivedi said. “We need someone in Congress who is not just going to talk about representing educators during election season, like Congressman Gerlach has learned to do in Washington, but who will truly stand up for our children’s teachers. I am so proud to have the endorsement of my hometown’s education association, and I will fight to ensure that my daughter’s generation and all future generations continue to have the education they need to lead the nation and the world.”

While the endorsement came as a surprise to many who had seen educators endorse Congressman Gerlach in the past, it came as no surprise to those in the union, who have been left behind every time the congressman leaves for Washington.

“Congressman Gerlach spends a whole lot of time down in Washington, but he isn’t there being our representative,” said Russel Diesinger, the 2nd Vice President of the REA. “Manan Trivedi gets what’s important to us because he received a great public education in this area which prepared him to get real-world experience, like his time in the Navy or as a doctor — and that’s who we need in Congress. He understands what working families go through and the importance of unions, especially in tough times like these, because he came from a working class community. And he’s a Berks Countian, which means for the first time in a long time, Berks won’t be just an afterthought for our congressman like it always has been for Gerlach.”

Just last month, Congressman Gerlach turned his back on teachers by voting against H.R. 1586. He chose to fire 170,000 teachers nationwide so that he could continue giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas.

The REA endorsement joins a long list of influential support Trivedi has received from the labor community, including endorsements from the AFT, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, and the Pennsylvania SEIU.

Manan Trivedi is the Democratic nominee for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. He is a primary care physician, a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy, and an Iraq War veteran from Berks County.

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