Working people are fighting back at conventions and their work places. Working people are under assault from all sides these days. Labor laws are stacked against us. Too many politicians don't understand -- or don't care about -- the needs of working families. Greed is the modus operandi of corporate leaders.
But don't think I'm giving up for a second! There are signs all around that, despite these obstacles, working people are successfully fighting back.
During the next three weeks, thousands of union members from all over the United States and Canada, from different industries, young and old, men and women, and of all races and ethnicities will come together as equals to actively steer the course of their unions.
Unions practice democracy
Next week, United Auto Workers members from around the country will gather in Las Vegas to debate the future of their union. In a few weeks, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, including 70 delegates from Michigan, will do the same.
A union's convention is an incredibly important event. It is the democratic process at work. In the Teamsters Union, our Constitution guarantees "One member, one vote." All across the country, members gathered at their local union halls to elect delegates to represent them at our convention.
Now, the delegates will come together to debate proposals and vote on them. Our members will shape the union's policies at all levels, from the big picture to the day-to-day operations of the union.
In these tough times, their decisions will be more important than ever.
In the Teamsters Union, we saw the writing on the wall five years ago. We knew that the only way we could take on all of the forces threatening working people was to get our own house in order first. And that's exactly what we've done.
Our union was struggling to maintain our membership level and our finances were in disarray. So we put our Teamster power to work to fix these two vital areas.
How Teamsters refocused
We restructured our union, streamlining our operations to get our union back into the black.
As we straightened out our finances, we also began concentrating on growing our union. To maximize our new fiscal strength -- and increase our power to negotiate strong contracts, make our voices heard in the halls of power and improve the lives of our members, their families and their communities -- we had to organize and consolidate strength in our core industries.
We are dedicating more resources than ever to organizing. Thousands of workers around the country saw the changes we were making and voted to join our union. So did three other international unions. The end result is that our union was one of only a few unions in America to grow during the last five years.
Each of these changes helps us be more successful, creating a circle of growth for our union.
Next, we turned our attention to the labor movement, which has had declining membership for years.
Organizing labor to win
Together with six other progressive unions and their 6 million members seeking change, we formed a new labor federation. Change to Win's central objective is to organize the 50 million American workers in industries whose jobs cannot be outsourced or shipped overseas.
Change to Win affiliates are coordinating our efforts at all levels to unite the workers in these jobs -- and to turn them into good union jobs.
In less than a year, our new labor movement is already racking up victories and making great strides in reversing labor's decline. School bus drivers in Baltimore and Iowa City recently voted to become Teamsters. So did 1,200 police officers in Nashville.
With the Teamsters Union once again in a position of power and with the backing of a new federation, we can start defeating the enemies of working people. We are making our voices heard.
Take union issues seriously
Politicians and public servants must take our issues seriously -- or we will devote our resources to adding them to the ranks of the unemployed. We are also making our voices heard in corporate boardrooms as we lead efforts to restore corporate accountability and shareholder power.
History shows that when unions are strong, wages go up, health care coverage improves, pensions are strengthened and our democracy is more secure. When unions are under attack, as they are today, we're all in danger.
The theme of our Teamster convention is "Moving Forward Together." We are confident that by spreading democracy we can reverse the tide and move the labor movement back into a seat of power -- and improve the lot of all working families and our nation.
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