Labor Day Message

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. In 1898, Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labor, called it "the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed...that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it."

This year, Labor Day has an altogether different feel to it. 

The continuing economic depression in the construction industry has made it difficult to celebrate much of anything.  Yet, there is hope on the horizon.  The U.S. Department of Labor reports that in July 26 states reported an increase in construction employment.  Overall, construction industry starts grew by 7% nationwide.  Indications are that we are beginning the climb out of the black hole we have been in for the past two years.

But, there is still work to do.

First and foremost, we have to continue to work with lawmakers at the federal and local level to develop opportunities to get our members back on the job.  And public Investments in our physical infrastructure are paramount to creating jobs.  Notwithstanding the recent report by the Department of Labor, the construction industry is still mired in a devastating economic slump, and public investments in infrastructure and energy development are a sure-fire way to stimulate not just the construction industry, but our economy as a whole.  Yet, there are many Republicans in Congress that are actively working to prevent the remaining stimulus money from being spent to create jobs.

To that end, we are once again appealing to all state and local building trades councils to assist us with our “Back on the Job” campaign.  You will recall that the Department has created a website (www.backonthejob.org) that is specifically designed to showcase the personal stories of the hardship that our members are enduring as a result of prolonged periods of unemployment.  The intent is to put a human face on the issue of long-term unemployment in order to convey to members of Congress the urgency of taking the necessary action that will put American workers “back on the job.”

We realize that it is dispiriting for us to all to be in the situation we are in, just two short years after we were filled with so much promise and hope for the dawning of a new era in America.

In 2008, we worked like never before on behalf of a promise of re-uniting the American family for a greater, common purpose.  We were primed for a journey that would once again align our national priorities with the collective interests of America’s working families.

Unfortunately, at the time President Obama assumed the presidency, our nation was hit with an unprecedented economic crisis.  And though his Administration and the U.S. Congress have acted heroically in dealing with this continuing crisis, and should be credited with preventing things from falling completely off a cliff, there remain hundreds of thousands of building trades members across this nation that are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table for their families.

As we join with family and friends this Labor Day weekend, let us think not only of those who are less fortunate than us, but let us also contemplate what is happening today all around America.  Because it gets right to the heart of who we are as a nation.

America has historically been a nation whose prosperity and success were ALWAYS built upon a thriving middle class; a middle class that provided bountiful opportunities for generations of Americans who were more than willing to work hard and play by the rules.  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 and wherewithal 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.  Our economy is still struggling and our planet is seemingly in peril.  Yet we are in danger of witnessing the ascendancy of a political movement that seems incapable of, or uninterested in, addressing the core fundamental problems that are contributing to our economic misfortunes.

For two years now, the Obama Administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress have had to spend most of their time cleaning up messes:

In Iraq and Afghanistan…

In the Gulf of Mexico…

And on Wall Street and Main Street.

Unfortunately, the story of how the president and the Congress have dealt with these challenges is not being accurately presented to the citizens of this great nation.   In fact, it is being distorted with unapologetic fury.  And that is mostly a by-product of the trivialization of the “news” by the mass media and the willful disregard for facts and truth brought about by a right-wing noise machine and an emerging “tea party” political movement; both of which have transformed our Nation’s Capitol, and our political discourse in general, into a depressing and dysfunctional place.

Here’s the bottom line, and it pains me to say this:

For the most part, the conservative voices who have now seized control of the Republican Party and media outlets like Fox News - 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.  The only constituency that they care about 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 American workers.

For the better part of the first decade of this century, the Republican Party had control of our federal 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 and squandered over a trillion dollars in budget surplus in just eight 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.

But now, thanks to the visionary leadership of Barack Obama, 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 and domestic energy development 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, nor have we ever wanted, government to solve all our problems.  We don’t need Glenn Beck, or anyone else for that matter, to tell us that personal responsibility, character, innovation, hard work and faith are what ultimately determine individual achievement in America.  By God, our union brothers and sisters live that creed every day in which they are fortunate enough to be on a jobsite.

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.

We all 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 which includes a bold and optimistic economic 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.

For us, 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, more responsive government and a renewed, vibrant middle class America.

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, then both our democratic form of government and our civilization itself will inevitably suffer.

Brothers and Sisters, 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.

Thank you, Brothers and Sisters.  Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.