The United Brotherhood of Carpenters announced today that it is supporting Barack Obama, with just about everyone else in the United States union movement. This is clearly excellent news, at least for me. On this eve before a vacay, I thought to leave a diary entry around this news and how labor, sometimes seen as a house divided, is coming together in a big way to support who I hope will be the next president of my country.
Please read on, and enjoy some good news for a change.
Over at UnionReview tonight a brother from the Carpenters Union, and who is an active labor activist posted a story announcing the fact that the United Brotherhood of Carpenters has endorsed Barack Obama. Even though I am leaving in the morning for a four day vacay, I wanted to come to Kos and spread that news here; perhaps babble a little as to why this is such fantastic news.
You see, the union movement is not always with the kind of solidarity a guy like me would want. There are egos, pissing matches, raids, whatever ... we are a functioning, loving and often times terribly dysfunctional family. But we can talk about that stuff on Union Review, if you want. This diary is, in many respects, all about the family coming together, in solidarity, around a presidential candidate who we believe has our best interests, as working people, in mind and heart.
On June 26th the AFL-CIO announced, rather late in the game, that it was standing with Obama. I was elated then, too.
His leadership can re-engage disenfranchised Americans and bring our country together. Sen. Obama has advocated a change of direction for our nation that mirrors the priorities of the labor movement.
In announcing the endorsement today, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said, "Barack Obama has proven from his days as an organizer, to his time in the Senate and his historic run for the presidency, that he’s leading the fight to turn around America." Saying, as a champion for working families, Obama knows what it’s going to take to create an economy that works for everyone, not just Big Oil, Big Pharma, the insurance companies, the giant mortgage lenders, speculators and the very wealthy. We’re proud to stand with Sen. Obama to help our nation chart a course that will improve life for generations of working people and our children.
You can read the whole AFL-CIO endorsement story here
Earlier in the year, our other labor federation, Change to Win, announced that it too is behind Barack Obama. In late February the labor federation launched a great web page where they stated:
Barack Obama believes that the right of workers to join together in unions is a fundamental human right. As President, he would support workers' rights by banning the permanent replacement of striking workers, increasing funding for the protection of workers' health and safety on the job, punishing corporations who violate workers' rights, and ensuring workers' freedom to organize by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.
You can check out the Change to Wion endorsement page, which is really beautiful, by the way, here.
Since this is called a diary, let me share some personal day-to-day stuff:
Today I was at a rally in front of the German Embassy. We were doing a demonstration around Dailmer's predadtory lending to port truckers. There were demonstrations happening at about the same time in four other major cities, not just DC.
As I rallied with my picket sign, chanting with union brothers and sisters, activists from other organizations, including the vice president of the NAACP, I thought about the men and women on these trucks. I remember this one guy (I am really not that great with names this late in the day, sorry) who said he has to get out of his truck regularly while waiting for a load at the port, and vomit. The fumes from the diesel were so rancid it would turn his stomach. Sadly, he is not alone.
You can read about this campaign at this incredible website that publishes a wealth of information and opinion.
When I got back to the union (where I work) there were a ton of emails (about 84). One was one from a Communications Director asking me to post a news article to the site that we believe our members would need/want to read. It is about FedEx, the story was published on Bloomberg, and you can read the piece here, or just go visit the Teamster site and look on the left-hand column, under news.
Whether it is us speaking up about predatory lending done by Dailmer, or standing up with the workers of FedEx, including its Mechanics Class and Craft -- we believe that we simply need a president who is not afraid of working people ... who is not afraid of the word 'union' ... and who is not afraid to stand up and get heard on legislation that we all need.
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters brings together 550,000 hard working men and women. These workers are often faced with unsafe work conditions, and endlessly deal with inexperienced scab- and day- laborers taking their work -- safe or not. For this union to stand behind Obama with the Teamsters, Change to Win and the AFL-CIO, not to mention most of the labor unions in the United States, is ... well, big and welcomed news.
I cannot tell you without repeating the same words over and over again how badly workers at the Port, workers at FedEx, workers at a company called Cintas, workers all over the place in this great and "fair" country need the Employee Free Choice Act. I cannot tell you how relieving it is to see, in my lifetime, a presidential candidate going on record about what is so near, dear, and needed for us all.
I know that I might have mentioned this in another diary recently, but if you guys are out there canvassing come upon a working person who is on the fence regarding this election, please, I beg you ... tell that person where labor is voting ... and why. Urge that worker to join his family in electing the next right president.
Sorry if I babbled a little in this diary, I just wanted to share the good news, and ... brag ... with a good union job, you get to go on a paid vacation (if you put in your time and have it, bla bla bla).
Gwen and I are leaving for the mountains in the morning!