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Trumka: Obama’s Election Just the Beginning of Progress |
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| AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka joins members of IUE-CWA Local 755 in Dayton, Ohio, in handing out issues leaflets to union members. |
Working families not only helped elect a new president and Congress in November, they helped restore the soul of the nation and showed the world what it really means to be an American, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka says. And they will play a major part in resolving the nation’s economic crisis.
Speaking at the annual AFL-CIO King Day celebration in New Orleans last night, Trumka said even though union members did not cause this crisis, “we’re the people who are going to lead America out of it.”
Because there’s only way to rebuild the middle class in this country—only one way to protect and create jobs for all workers white and black—and it’s not by bailing out banks. It’s through organizing, it’s through unionizing, it’s through collective bargaining. That’s what helped lift America out of the last depression, and that’s the only thing that’s going to end this one.
President-elect Obama’s inauguration next week is a testament to the “long march” toward justice led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights, human rights and union activists.
But, Trumka warned:
Obama’s election is a milestone; but it’s not the finish line. Yes, his election is a triumph over racism, but it wasn’t the end of racism. And, God yes, his election says a lot about how far America has come; but it doesn’t mean that we still don’t have a long, long way to go.
For example, Trumka says, the home foreclosure crisis is hitting African Americans harder than other groups.
The fact that Barack Obama is moving into the White House doesn’t mean that a black family isn’t more likely to be forced out of their house.
African American household income averages $16,000 a year less than for whites and poverty in the African American community is almost twice the national average, he said.
Last summer, in a speech to the United Steelworkers (USW) convention, he said workers should not let their racial prejudices prevent them from voting for Obama. The well-received speech was a hit on YouTube and was credited with turning around the vote of many union members.
In New Orleans, Trumka urged the King Day participants to remember the real King—”the man who gave his life to help sanitation workers in Memphis win their right to a strong AFSCME contract.”
When we’re watching that joyous moment [Obama's inauguration] with tears in our eyes, I hope we all take a moment to remember the real Dr. King. Because if we do, I think we’ll hear him tell us that Barack Obama’s election isn’t an achievement to rest on, but a victory to build on.
If we do, I think we’ll hear him tell us that it’s time to roll up our sleeves and help President Obama in his work—just as he’ll be helping us in ours. If we listen with our hearts that day, we’ll hear him tell us that our success on Nov. 4 was only a down payment on what we can achieve if we continue this march together.
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