Northwest labor press., August 17, 2012, Page 2, Image 2

40,000 strong call for second Bill of Rights for America
PHILADELPHIA (PAI) — An esti-
mated 40,000 trade unionists rallied in
Philadelphia Aug. 11, in an event
dubbed “Workers Stand for America.”
The rally — timed to precede both
the Democratic and Republican con-
ventions — called for fulfillment of
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s
1944 promise of a second Bill of Rights
— which would include a right to edu-
cation, medical care, and decent job. In
the Portland area, several dozen people
Thousands of union members and their allies rallied in Philadelphia Aug. 11
in support of a second Bill of Rights for American workers.
O PERATING E NGINEERS
L OCAL 701
P AYS T RIBUTE
TO A MERICA ’ S W ORKERS
T HIS L ABOR D AY 2012
Executive Board Members
NELDA WILSON - Business Manager & Financial Secretary
JIM ANDERSON - President
KEVIN MILLER - Vice President
STEVE BRADLEY - Recording Corresponding Secretary
BOE ELLIS - Treasurer
DAVE CARTER - Conductor
MELVIN “BUTCH” SARINA - Guard
MIKE THUN - Dist. I Rep.
HAROLD CHEVRIER – Dist. II Rep.
DARREN GLEBE - Dist. III Rep.
RAY AKERS - Dist. IV Rep.
MIKE WATTERS - Dist. V Rep.
RICHARD LAUDERBACK - Dist. V (at-large) Rep.
Dispatch
Deanna Robles
Jon Stoltenberg
watched the rally via a live telecast at
the International Brotherhood of Elec-
trical Workers (IBEW) Local 48 hall.
The rally was the brainchild of
IBEW President Ed Hill, who has been
critical of the Democratic National
Committee’s choice of Charlotte, North
Carolina, as the venue for the party’s
2012 convention. North Carolina is a
right-to-work state with the nation’s
lowest percentage of union members,
and there are no union hotels in Char-
lotte. IBEW contributed $1 million to
the 2008 Democratic convention in
Denver, but this year, is sitting out the
convention, and instead put energy into
the Workers Stand for America rally.
“Right now I’m a sad trade unionist,”
Hill told rally-goers in Philadelphia,
“sad that we must gather here to begin a
campaign to protect all working men
and women and the middle class of this
country from further erosion, sad that
we have precious few people who will
work to protect the very thing that built
this country to greatness, this country’s
might, this country’s very well being.…
your issues are being ignored.”
The AFL-CIO’s second Bill of
Rights document calls for full employ-
ment and a living wage; full participa-
tion in the political process; a voice at
work; a quality education for all; and a
secure and healthy future.
AFL-CIO President Richard
Trumka told the crowd that as workers,
“We built this country, we wake it up
and we put it to sleep, and it’s time to
take it back!” He said hard work alone
has never led to decent wages and ben-
efits and retirement for every American.
“It’s hard work and activism.”
Trumka later told reporters that labor
is campaigning for commitment from
politicians to the Bill of Rights. It will
be presented to both presidential nomi-
nees — incumbent Barack Obama and
presumptive GOP candidate Mitt Rom-
ney — and other officeholders for their
endorsement and signature.
Obama addressed the rally via a
four-minute video. In it, Obama ac-
knowledges Hill, Trumka, and Building
Trades President Sean McGarvey.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work-
ing men and women in America,”
Obama said, “because you guys em-
body the values that built this country,
not just our roads and buildings, but the
strongest middle class the world has
ever known. You stand for hard work,
responsibility, looking out for one an-
other, making sure every one from the
board room to the factory floor has a
seat at the table and a chance to build a
better life for the next generation.”
Office Staff
Robert Crane
Jonathan Donehower
Loraine Draper
Cherry Harris
Ricky Iboa
Gene Kidd
Larry Lovelady
Jack Miller
Jeff McRobbie
Rod Osgood
Traci Pardee
Melissa Savage
Clif Smith
Barbara Watts
555 E AST F IRST S TREET , G LADSTONE , OR 97027
503-650-7701
PAGE 2
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
AUGUST 17, 2012