AFL-CIO’s Trumka Says, “We Built It!”
September 6, 2012 8:51 am
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka riled up the Democratic National Convention crowd early Wednesday evening, flipping the script on the “We Built It” theme which served as the backdrop for last week’s Republican National Convention.
“We are the ones who built America. We are the ones who build it every single day — because it is our work that connects us all,” and stating Mitt Romney, “Doesn’t know anything about hard work or responsibility.”
The labor leader’s speech comes at a Democrat National Convention that has been disappointing for organized labor. In adopting Raleigh, North Carolina as this year’s venue, the Democrats picked not only a right-to-work state, but the least unionized state in the country. The anti-teacher “Won’t Back Down” film will be screened at this year’s convention, and Rahm Emanuel, whose actions many feel are largely responsible for the impending Chicago Teachers strike, addressed the DNC crowd last night.
The general disappointment at these choices contributed to the AFL-CIO’s decision to hold a “Workers Stand for America” rally in Philadelphia weeks prior to either convention. Yet with the release of last week’s right-to-work, anti-collective bargaining Republican platform, vocal support for the Dems becomes more important. Trumka echoed these points:
“The Democratic platform — unlike its [Republican] counterpart in Tampa -– makes crystal clear that Barack Obama and the Democratic Party will fight to protect and strengthen this fundamental human right” of collective bargaining.”
Trumka went on to encourage attendees to thank the workers that are keeping the convention running and cleaning up after the crowds are gone. He also took a dig at North Carolina’s anti-union laws:
“We know that every worker — here in North Carolina, just like in every state in this country, and every country in the world — deserves the right to organize and bargain collectively.”
Amen.
Image from here