Brothers and sisters, good afternoon.
Let me tell you: It’s not common for a proud Penn State Nittany Lion to receive such a warm reception from a group of Boilermakers!
Before I continue, I need to start by thanking Brother Newton Jones and Brother William Creeden, along with your five international vice presidents: Lawrence McManamon, J. Tom Baca, Warren Fairley, John T. Fultz and Arnie Stadnick.
It’s a tremendous honor to address the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers.
This union’s history is rooted in resilience.
Following a decade of disastrous economic policies and a decline in union membership, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave America a New Deal.
And when the second World War threatened American democracy, it was the Boilermakers who helped save it.
This union went to work around the clock, building the ships, ramping up wartime production in a moment of maximum crisis.
And growing union membership and strengthening workers’ rights!
Today, America is turning the corner in a battle against a different kind of enemy: a deadly virus.
What has not changed is the level of devotion from the Boilermakers.
Throughout this pandemic, you’ve been on the front lines in the fight to promote workplace safety and protect the pensions that we earned through a lifetime of service.
Now it’s time to once again make sure working people don’t just get by, it’s time to make sure working people can get ahead.
But that’s not possible when runaway inequality is skyrocketing.
We won’t solve the inequality of wealth and wages and the inequality of opportunity unless we confront the inequality of power.
Simply put, workers are too weak. Corporations are too powerful.
The longer this imbalance continues, the heavier the burden becomes.
And if we keep doing the same thing, our economic and political systems will come crashing down on us.
The PRO Act is how we address the inequality of power in America and finally level the playing field for working people.
At its core, the PRO Act is about empowering working people with freedom. The freedom to band together on the job. The freedom to have a voice at work.
The freedom to form a union without being pressured or threatened or fired.
Sixty million people would join a union today if given the chance. An MIT study confirmed that before the pandemic, and I’d wager that number is even higher today.
But America’s outdated labor laws are robbing millions of workers of the union difference. Good wages. Great benefits. A secure retirement.
And by the way, those labor laws are even older than the ships a mighty generation of Boilermakers built to beat Nazis and fascists in World War II.
FDR gave us a New Deal. The PRO Act is how we renew that deal.
It’s about our economy. And we know an economy thrives on fairness but crumbles under the weight of inequality.
The PRO Act is about our safety. All of us should be able to go to work free from fear and return home safely when we finish our shift.
It’s about our voice. And when union membership is larger, our voice grows louder!
Think about the debates this country is having over infrastructure and energy. Without the Boilermakers, America can’t build modern marvels to compete against the world. And we certainly won’t defeat climate change without the Boilermakers at the table!
And the PRO Act is about our democracy.
Look, I respect the fact that you have not endorsed in the past few presidential elections.
This union has made it clear: “your vote is a personal decision.”
But here’s what I think we can all agree on: No matter who you vote for, every American has the right to vote!
That’s not liberal or conservative belief. That is a fundamental freedom in this country. That is a cornerstone of American democracy.
But right now, over 400 voter suppression bills have been introduced in state legislatures across America.
Those lawmakers will say it’s about protecting our elections from voter fraud. But there is no evidence of voter fraud...just baseless allegations and conspiracy theories.
Here’s the truth: these laws are about making sure certain Americans don’t vote or can’t vote or won’t have their vote counted.
I can’t think of anything more un-American than denying a fellow American of their right to the ballot.
I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent, these bills should outrage you. As a union member. As a champion for democracy. As an American.
As one united labor movement, we need to do everything in our power to stop these un-American laws and strengthen our democracy—because democracy is not promised to the next generation.
We demand better, brothers and sisters. We demand dignity, rights, respect and a union for every worker—in construction and manufacturing, shipbuilding and railroads—in all the industries you represent.
We demand labor laws designed to strengthen America’s labor movement, not weaken it.
And we demand that our democracy is preserved and passed on to the next generation of working people!
We can make it happen by standing together, marching together, fighting together, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, as long as it takes. For Boilermakers and all workers! For America’s labor movement! For this country we built and love!
God bless you. And thank you.