The labor movement isn’t content to merely survive in an era when anti-union lawmakers control both chambers of Congress – we’re moving forward, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told delegates at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference in Washington, D.C. “It’s time to drop our shield, pick up our sword and go on offense for a while,” Trumka said. Trumka added that it was time to aggressively push our agenda in Washington, including protecting pensions, Medicare, Medicaid. Social Security, rebuilding infrastructure and protecting our water from becoming poisoned like it did in Flint, Michigan. “These investments will pay dividends ...
Read more
First, NAACP President Derrick Johnson explained that there definitely is a connection between civil rights and labor. As a matter of fact, they are natural allies. And two, just as with other progressive coalitions and allies, we must stay sharply focused on the next five years to turn the tide on the attacks from the right. “We cannot have a house divided,” Johnson said, speaking at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference on Wednesday. “Those forces can only be successful in dividing the house.” Over the next five years, the country faces a census count, more elections and ...
Read more
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who represents most of Seattle and adjoining areas, came to America from India all on her own at 16 years old to attend college at Georgetown University because her parents wanted her to have a good education and opportunities. The first Indian-American in the U.S. House of Representatives, says the term “chain migration” is a derogatory term used to scapegoat immigrants. “The president and his supporters in immigration have weaponized the term chain migration to thwart a noble goal: keeping families intact,” she told attendees at the UAW’s 2018 Community Action Conference (CAP) in Washington, D.C. Jayapal ...
Read more
Republicans talk a good game. In fact, Sen. Debbie Stabenow said that she thought President Trump might have borrowed her speeches on the campaign trail in 2016 as he wooed workers who wanted something different out of Washington. “You know what the problem is? You have to do more than talk or have symbols,” Stabenow told delegates at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference on Wednesday. “You have to act.” For instance, she said, Trump promised that on Day 1 of his administration, he would address currency manipulation. “It’s Day 382 and it hasn’t happened yet,” Stabenow said. ...
Read more
Photo by Jessie Jesson, UAW Local 686 At present, the stock market is doing well and has been since former President Barack Obama’s economic policies — including the rescue of the domestic auto industry — brought our nation back from the Great Recession. “But what good is that if Americans remain in low-wage jobs, can only work part-time or do not have the benefits they need for their families?” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts asked delegates at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference on Wednesday. She went on to say that that the policies put forth by the ...
Read more
“Our democracy, the rule of law and institutions that we depend on are under attack. Your vigilance and passion are the most important tools we have to fight back — every single one of you here today,” said U.S. Congresswoman Norma J. Torres, who represents California’s 35th Congressional District, speaking before CAP Conference delegates Monday morning. Torres spent 17 years working the 911 center for the Los Angeles Police Department, and as a volunteer shop steward, had a no-loss record representing her coworkers. As a state senator, she played a significant role in making the Affordable Care Act work for ...
Read more
Reconnecting with voters, rebuilding the infrastructure to elect labor friendly candidates, and concentrating on state and local offices are just some of the ways to fight back against the corporate control of our government, according to panelists at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference. Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana; Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now; and Will Hailer, senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), participated in a lively discussion on the failures of the 2016 election and some early successes in the last year. Mayor Buttigieg said many voters don’t care about ...
Read more
When Republicans took complete control of the government in 2016, most union members understood that workers would take a hit, but we underestimated just how bad it would be, the UAW’s chief lobbyist told political activists Monday. From attacks on health care, workers’ rights and immigrants to inaction on NAFTA, a lot of awful things are happening in Washington right now, Josh Nassar, the UAW’s legislative director, told delegates at the 2018 UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Conference. “It’s been rough in the last couple of years,” Nassar said during an hour-long presentation designed to educate members about top legislative ...
Read more
“I grew up knowing that if you went to an auto plant you would instantly be in the middle class, because the UAW fought for workers to earn wages that would help them support their families, send their children to college and make a difference in their communities,” Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence told CAP delegates. In an impassioned speech, Lawrence recalled past decades when organized labor paved the way for laws and programs that helped to create economic and social justice for America’s families. She challenged members to remember that “what is done to the least of us affects all us” ...
Read more
If things are going to change for the better in this country, organized labor must have a seat at the table, Congressman Mark Pocan told UAW CAP delegates Monday. That means that UAW members are essential to what can turn things around on issues such as fair trade, immigration and workers’ rights. The burden for change falls on organized labor – the people who have fought, marched and put pressure on elected officials for laws and programs that have kept workers safe on their jobs, kept their communities strong and ensured that there was democracy in the workplace. “We can’t ...
Read more