Whether worried about their jobs and their children's future or concerned about the direction the country is headed, thousands of Minnesota workers found reasons to unite and be hopeful at Labor Day celebrations Monday.
In St. Paul, huge crowds gathered for speeches, food and entertainment, and workshops on topics such as "Organizing to Win!" and "Building a Fair Trade Movement in the USA." The St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly, with the sponsorship of the Rolling Thunder Downhome Democracy Tour, held its annual picnic on Harriet Island along the banks of the Mississippi River.
Keynote speaker Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the national AFL-CIO, said American workers face unprecedented challenges.
"The freedoms that we cherish most . . . are being tarnished," he said. "We're enslaved by an era that rewards only the rich."
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| National AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka addresses the crowd at the St. Paul Labor Day picnic. |
Millions of Americans are unemployed and many more are working for less than living wages, Trumka said. When they try to better their conditions by forming a union, employers illegally fire and intimidate workers.
"Interfering with the freedom of workers to form and join unions has become a bloodsport in our country," Trumka said.
He outlined three upcoming campaigns to raise issues important to working families. In late September, buses will crisscross the country as part of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, ending in a massive rally near the Statue of Liberty in New York. The ride will call attention to the abuses endured by immigrant workers and put pressure on Congress to pass legislation reforming immigration laws.
In November, labor unions will join scores of other organizations across the hemisphere for a massive mobilization in Miami, where officials will be negotiating the "Free Trade Area of the Americas." Often described as "NAFTA on steroids," the FTAA would expand free trade laws throughout the hemisphere. The mobilization will demand that worker, human rights and environmental protections be part of the trade talks.
On Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, the AFL-CIO will launch a campaign to highlight the abuses American workers face, including suppression of their right to form and join unions. While employers routinely and illegally interfere with union organizing drives, the penalties are light and the opportunities to drag out the process are boundless, meaning it often takes years for fired workers to achieve justice.
Next year will bring the 2004 elections, which Trumka called "the most important national elections in our history." He said unions will focus on defeating President George W. Bush, whom he described as "the most anti-worker, anti-union, anti-family (president) that the nation has ever seen."
For more information
View photos from the picnic on the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly website, www.stpaulunions.org.
On the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, go to www.iwfr.org. On the FTAA mobilization, go to www.citizenstrade.org. On workplace issues, www.aflcio.org.
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Whether worried about their jobs and their children’s future or concerned about the direction the country is headed, thousands of Minnesota workers found reasons to unite and be hopeful at Labor Day celebrations Monday.
In St. Paul, huge crowds gathered for speeches, food and entertainment, and workshops on topics such as “Organizing to Win!” and “Building a Fair Trade Movement in the USA.” The St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly, with the sponsorship of the Rolling Thunder Downhome Democracy Tour, held its annual picnic on Harriet Island along the banks of the Mississippi River.
Keynote speaker Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the national AFL-CIO, said American workers face unprecedented challenges.
“The freedoms that we cherish most . . . are being tarnished,” he said. “We’re enslaved by an era that rewards only the rich.”
|
| National AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka addresses the crowd at the St. Paul Labor Day picnic. |
Millions of Americans are unemployed and many more are working for less than living wages, Trumka said. When they try to better their conditions by forming a union, employers illegally fire and intimidate workers.
“Interfering with the freedom of workers to form and join unions has become a bloodsport in our country,” Trumka said.
He outlined three upcoming campaigns to raise issues important to working families. In late September, buses will crisscross the country as part of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, ending in a massive rally near the Statue of Liberty in New York. The ride will call attention to the abuses endured by immigrant workers and put pressure on Congress to pass legislation reforming immigration laws.
In November, labor unions will join scores of other organizations across the hemisphere for a massive mobilization in Miami, where officials will be negotiating the “Free Trade Area of the Americas.” Often described as “NAFTA on steroids,” the FTAA would expand free trade laws throughout the hemisphere. The mobilization will demand that worker, human rights and environmental protections be part of the trade talks.
On Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, the AFL-CIO will launch a campaign to highlight the abuses American workers face, including suppression of their right to form and join unions. While employers routinely and illegally interfere with union organizing drives, the penalties are light and the opportunities to drag out the process are boundless, meaning it often takes years for fired workers to achieve justice.
Next year will bring the 2004 elections, which Trumka called “the most important national elections in our history.” He said unions will focus on defeating President George W. Bush, whom he described as “the most anti-worker, anti-union, anti-family (president) that the nation has ever seen.”
For more information
View photos from the picnic on the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly website, www.stpaulunions.org.
On the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, go to www.iwfr.org. On the FTAA mobilization, go to www.citizenstrade.org. On workplace issues, www.aflcio.org.