Building & Construction Trades Department

Thank you.
 
Brothers and Sisters, over the course of the last year I have had the opportunity to give a great deal of speeches.  They have been to business and industry, contractor associations and labor groups.  And in those speeches, I have tended to focus on how America’s Building Trades Unions are working feverishly to create job opportunities for our members.
 
And those members, as you know all too well, are struggling mightily during this current economic depression.
 
I also have made sure to speak to the effort of our unions to change the culture of the unionized construction industry so that we are more readily seizing upon our competitive advantages. This will position us and our contractors for unprecedented success when this economy begins to rebound.
 
And more recently, I have had to also address the troubling situation that involves the increasing efforts by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters to raid the work of other craft unions.
 
On that issue, the Building and Construction Trades Department has established a committee that includes representatives of all of our affiliated unions.  The committee, headed by our very capable Secretary Treasurer, Sean McGarvey, has been charged with developing a plan of actions and recommendations to address this situation in a straightforward and effective manner.
 
Now, brothers and sisters, let me be as clear as I can.  No one can, and no one will, tolerate or condone what the Carpenters have done, and continue to do.  The committee is exploring all options to address this problem.  
 
And you have my word that whatever measures are adopted by the committee and the Building Trades’ Governing Board will be executed by Sean and me, and the entire Department and our affiliates to their fullest extent. It is sad and unfortunate that we are being forced to expend precious resources fighting the misguided vision being advocated by the singular leadership of one union.
 
All of these things, including our response to the Carpenters actions, are critically important to the long-term success of our movement.  And you can rest assured that the Building and Construction Trades Department is doing all that it can, every hour of every day, to create job opportunities for our members in these most unfortunate times.
 
But today, I want to explore a different matter altogether.  It is one that gets right to the heart of who we are not only as a labor movement, but who we are as a nation.
 
Because today, we come together at a defining moment in the history of the United States of America – a nation whose prosperity and success were built upon a thriving middle class. A class that gave us bountiful opportunities for those willing to work hard and play by the rules.
 
But those fundamental attributes of our great nation are now at risk.  

As trade unionists, we have always had a special commitment to this promise of America.  We believe, in earnest, that every American, whatever their background or station in life, should have the chance to get a good education, to work at a good job with good wages, to raise and provide for a family, to live in safe surroundings, and to retire with dignity and security.
 
We also believe that quality and affordable health care is a basic right for any human being and we believe that each succeeding generation should have the opportunity to enjoy a brighter future than past generations.
 
But today, that simple guiding philosophy that has worked so well for almost 250 years is in jeopardy.
 
There can be no denying it.  We are at a crossroads.  As we meet here today, our economy is still struggling and our planet is seemingly in peril.  Yet our nation’s leaders are seemingly incapable of, or uninterested in, addressing the core fundamental problems that are contributing to our economic distress.
 
And this paralysis of Congress, combined with the trivialization of the “news” by the media and the willful disregard for facts and truth brought about by a right-wing noise machine has transformed our Nation’s Capitol into a depressing and dysfunctional place.
 
But, in spite of this dysfunction, America remains a shining light to the world.  But we are in danger of losing that luster.
 
What we need…no, WHAT WE MUST DEMAND…are leaders who will abandon the politics of partisan division and petty political one-upmanship.  We  desperately  need leaders  who can find creative solutions to get this country back on its feet; along with innovative ideas that are designed to both meet the challenges of our time and put people back to work.
 
In other words, we seek leadership that promotes the common good rather than leadership beholden to a narrow, selfish political interest.
 
As members of the building trades, we have always prized candor, accountability, and fairness.  Is it not too much to ask of our government…a government that is supposedly “of the people, and by the people”…to come together and champion the interests of working American families over the interests of the wealthy corporations that continue to rake in record profits?
 
There is no doubt that we are a nation of historic resourcefulness.
 
But from our perspective (and by that I mean a perspective that is illuminated through the lens of 20%, 30% and even 40% unemployment, depending upon the area), we have lost patience with elected officials who not only have failed to lead and who express no discernible interest in rectifying the dreadful plight of middle class Americans, but who have made it their goal in life to prevent other elected officials from leading!
 
Take the example of John Boehner, the current Republican leader in the House of Representatives.  He is the guy who will become Speaker of the House should the Democrats lose their majority.
 
Just a few short weeks ago, Congressman Boehner gave a speech to the City Club of Cleveland.  It was billed as a detailed dissertation on the GOP agenda, should they assume control of the House of Representatives.
 
In his speech, Boehner did, indeed, outline the top three measures that Republicans would pursue if they re-gained control of the House of Representatives.  But, if you thought for a minute that he would outline detailed specific programs relating to how we can get our nation back to work, well, you were sadly disappointed.
 
Instead, Mr. Boehner regurgitated a familiar litany of Republican wish-list items that included: repeal of the just-passed health care reform law; the killing of climate legislation; and a permanent renewal of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans among us.
 
That’s it.  That’s the GOP agenda in a nutshell.
 
In other words, they want to repeal a program that largely hasn't yet taken effect; they want to prevent the passage of climate change legislation which, by the way, would create millions of new job opportunities in both construction and manufacturing; and they want to keep a current tax structure in place that does nothing more than exacerbate the growing divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” in America.
 
These are not new ideas.  They are the same policies from the Bush/Cheney era that ran the car into the ditch in the first place.
 
They will not create jobs, they will kill them.  They will not reduce our deficit, they will add $1 trillion to the deficit.  And they will take us backward at a time when we need to keep America moving forward.
 
Here’s the bottom line, and it pains me to say this:  For the most part, the conservatives who now dominate the Republican Party, and you’ll pardon me for using this expression, couldn’t give a rat’s ass about you, me, the members we represent, or the entire American middle class.
 
It is clear from Mr. Boehner’s agenda that the only constituency the Republican Party cares about these days is the wealthy, corporate class that thinks nothing of outsourcing jobs to low-wage countries or in-sourcing skilled craft workers to take jobs from Americans – many of  whom are our members.
 
Brothers and sisters, Labor Day is upon us.  And in most years, Labor Day is a time for reflection on all that the labor movement has done for this nation.  But, in even-numbered years, Labor Day has always signified the “stretch run” up to Election Day.
 
And this year, that stretch run is more important than ever.
 
Beginning today, and running right up to Election Day, we must rise up and send a powerful message to those who seek political advantage by preventing our nation from moving forward.
 
Our task is to ensure that this election does not thwart the path we are on; a path that is moving us towards an era where prosperity and security are once again attainable for ALL Americans, and not simply the privileged domain of wealthy special interests.
 
Brothers and Sisters, with this election the American Dream is at risk.  Incomes are down and foreclosures are up.  Millions of our fellow citizens have been out of work for too long.  They are losing their homes and they are losing their dreams and their self-worth.
 
And thousands of them are fellow union construction workers who are not only losing their homes, but losing their health and welfare benefits and their pension credits as well.
 
But even worse than the conditions we find ourselves facing  today are the false promises being bandied about by the charlatans at Fox News, and the purveyors of fear like Rush Limbaugh and the leaders of the so-called “tea party” movement, who are nothing more than demagogues who promise prosperity and freedom for all but who deliver neither!
 
For an entire decade, the Republican Party had control of our government.  They said they would keep us safe, but they overextended our military and damaged our credibility throughout the world.  They claimed to be “compassionate conservatives” but then did nothing while thousands clung to the rooftops of New Orleans.  They promised fiscal responsibility but instead gave tax cuts to the wealthy few and squandered over a trillion dollars in budget surplus in just ten short years.
 
These are not just policy failures.  They are failures of a broken political philosophy; a philosophy that rewards self-interest over the common interest.
 
So, for the next several weeks, brothers and sisters, it shall be our duty to do all that we can to prevent a re-occurrence of this disastrous governing philosophy.
 
It’s like President Obama has said recently.  When you want to move forward you put the car’s transmission in “D.”  But, if you want to go backwards you shift to “R.”
 
We had hoped that the election of 2008 would have been the beginning of a renewal for the American Dream and a dawning of a new era for our great nation.  Unfortunately, we got sidetracked by obstructionists in a big way.  We have had to spend the last two years assisting President Obama and the Democratic Congress in cleaning up the mess that was the cumulative result of thirty years of conservative governance.
 
And for those efforts, the President and congressional Democrats have been rewarded with what is arguably the most insidious campaign of lies, smears and distortions we have seen in our lifetime.  In some instances, the rhetoric from the right passes close to the line of explicit violent insurrection.
 
But now, indications are that our economy has turned a corner.  There is good news on the horizon.  The U.S. Department of Labor has recently stated that 26 states reported increases in construction employment for the month of July.  Overall, the value of new construction starts advanced 7% nationwide.
 
Most of that growth is attributable to federal stimulus monies.  And we are all thankful to President Obama and the Democratic Congress for pushing that legislation through.
 
America is now starting to emerge from this economic calamity.  But, for this momentum to continue we must protect and ensure a Congressional majority that will put working Americans first.  A Congress that will invest in America again;  a Congress that will take the necessary steps to create and repair a world-class infrastructure; and a Congress that sees the value of green technologies that can generate the good, high-paying jobs of the future.
 
Contrary to what Glenn Beck and other conservatives say about the labor movement, we do not want, nor have we ever wanted, government to solve all our problems.  I don’t need Glenn Beck to tell me that personal responsibility, character, innovation, hard work and faith ultimately determines individual achievement in America.
 
By God, our union brothers and sisters live that creed every day that they are fortunate enough to go to work.
 
But we also know from looking at our nation’s history that when times were tough our nation demonstrated its collective “love of country” by uniting to overcome our challenges.
 
And the elections of 2010 boil down to this simple concept:
 
Making sure that America unites again in collective fashion to help working families get back on their feet and to restore the vitality of what has, and will always, make our nation the envy of the world – the American middle class.
 
Brothers and Sisters, if we truly believe that this nation can be a better place, then we must summon the courage over the next several weeks to work like never before to make it so.
 
I know that some Democrats in Congress have been a source of frustration for us.  But, on balance, it has always been the Democratic Party that has made the biggest difference in the lives of the working American families.
 
On November 2nd, we will have a choice to make.
 
We can choose to stay the current course that includes a bold and optimistic recovery plan that goes beyond conventional thinking and puts working Americans first; or we can choose to go backwards to the failed policies of the past that reward the few at the expense of the many.
 
I say there is no choice.
 
The path of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party is a path that builds upon the best of who and what we are and reflects our highest values.
 
We can put the car in reverse and go back into the ditch with the re-cycled policies of the Bush/Cheney era; or we can move forward out of the ditch together and create a new kind of government and a new America.
 
The time to institute and solidify real change is upon us and, by God, we must seize it!
 
To paraphrase one of our great Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, the issue is both simpler and larger than that involved in the personality of any one man.  Our unions today are standing for the great fundamental rights upon which all successful free governments must be based.  We are standing for elementary decency in politics.  And we are fighting for honesty against naked robbery – the the type of Wall Street robbery that thrust us into this depression in the first place.
 
Our issues are not partisan issues.  The opportunity for prosperity and security for all is more than just political issue.  It is a great moral issue.  If we condone political theft in the form of lies, smears, distortions and calculated obstruction; if we do not resent the kinds of wrong and injustice that affect the whole nation; and worse, if we stand idly by and do nothing about it; then it is not merely our Democratic form of government that will suffer, but our civilization itself.
 
If the slanderous methods adopted by today’s conservative movement continue to go unabated, then a great crime will have been committed upon this great nation.  A crime which strikes straight at the heart of every principle of political decency and honesty; a crime which, in my opinion, represents treason to the people and the usurpation of the power of the people by irresponsible conservative political and media hacks who are inspired by the sinister influences of moneyed privilege.
 
The triumph of such crass political opportunism on November 2nd would, in my opinion, be a scathing blow to our system of popular government.
 
But, I know you stand with me when I say we will be damned if we are going to let that happen!
 
Brothers and Sisters, I know times are tough.  And I know that the progress we’ve made up to this point isn’t good enough for the tens of thousands of building trades workers who are still out of work and struggling to hold onto their homes and pay the bills.  
 
But I also know the character of the men and women that comprise our unions.  Men and women like all of you in this room today.  When faced with great challenge and difficulty, we don’t fear the future, we shape the future.  
 
We harness our skills, our fortitude and our ingenuity to create a better day.  We do it with optimism, and we do it with confidence.  
 
That’s the spirit we need RIGHT NOW and for the next several weeks leading up to November 2nd.
 
All of us here in this hall today shall be engaged in a fight for the rights of every American worker.  The principles for which we stand are as vital here in Virginia as they are in Massachusetts; and as vital in Delaware as they are in Oregon.
 
Our appeal is to all honest, forward-looking, and patriotic Americans, no matter where they may live.  

And our fight is against those who have grossly and completely abandoned the cause of the people and have surrendered themselves wholly to the biddings of the professional political bosses and of the great privileged interests standing behind them.
 
A proud Virginian by the name of Thomas Jefferson, who also happened to be our nation’s third President, once spoke these words:
 
“A wise and frugal government shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
 
Brothers and sisters, the difference between us and our opponents is as old as civilized history.  In every great crisis of the kind we face today, we find on one side men and women of passion, sympathy and lofty idealism who stand for the forward movement of our nation; the uplift and betterment of the American middle class; faith in their brothers and sisters; and a collective will to see a better life for all.
 
On the other side, stand those of restricted vision and contracted sympathy whose souls are not stirred by the wrongs of others.  They are people who lack all intensity of conviction and who care only for the pleasures brought about by the achievement of their self-interested objectives.  They distrust the will of the people and, in all honesty, wish to keep the people helpless so as to exploit them.
 
And they abhor the entire concept of “power of the people” to bring about wholesome reform because it threatens the chokehold that they have on our economy and our political system, and that fills them with an angry terror.
 
They live and flourish in a world of low ideals.  And in the atmosphere they create, impostors tend to flourish, and leadership comes to be thought of only as success in making money.
 
In their worldview, all that is highest and purest in human nature is to be laughed at, and honesty is easily bought and sold in the marketplace.
 
That is what we are up against, brothers and sisters.  
 
And come November 2rd I trust and hope, with your assistance and hard work, that the “power of the people” will prevail.
 
Thank you Brothers and Sisters…
 
And may God Bless America’s Building Trades Unions.