Thank you, Brother Jeff [Johnson]. Thank you, sisters and brothers. I’m so proud to speak at your convention today.
Washington offers the American labor movement an example of how much good can be done when you draw strength from the ground up. Just look at Initiative 1433. A rank and file union member, Ariana Davis of UFCW Local 21, is the citizen petitioner who is fighting to guarantee all workers in Washington a living wage and seven paid sick days. You led the country with the highest minimum wage for close to 20 years and with this initiative you can get out in front again and set the pace.
But we don’t only fight for wages at the ballot box. I know state employees in Washington are in the process of negotiating a contract with the governor’s office. This is a big deal. You should get real wage increases. State workers could be making more money in the private sector, but you chose public service. That’s powerful, and the entire AFL-CIO stands with you as you negotiate to win fair wages and good benefits.
You see, the best way to build a ladder to the middle class is with a union contract. It’s the single greatest tool to raise pay and win good benefits and a secure retirement.
That’s why it’s so important that the King County Labor Council and Teamsters 117 are fighting to protect the rights of drivers. You want workers at Uber and Lyft to have the freedom to form an association and negotiate together for a better life. Legal challenges remain, but our position is clear: all employees should have the right to bargain collectively, including the growing on-demand workforce. This is about a labor movement that touches more workers, and lifts up more lives.
What we’re talking about is good jobs, democracy at work and corporate accountability. These should not be partisan issues.
Anybody who calls themselves a conservative should embrace these ideas, and the idea that public money should be used to encourage good-paying jobs here in Washington.
I’m talking specifically about how Boeing executives act as if they have the right to take taxpayer money and run. They don’t. The public has supported Boeing, because Boeing machinists and engineers play a huge role in the state and regional economy. Make no mistake: Boeing workers make it one of the most powerful and profitable corporations in the world. For greedy CEOs to pocket state tax incentives and then kill good Washington jobs, after the sacrifices you and your union members made, it’s just shameful. It’s wrong.
We need to elect leaders who will make sure this never happens again. Tax incentives must come with strong claw-back provisions. Again, that’s something all of us should agree on: Democrats, Republicans, independents, everybody.
You see, working people drive the economy in Washington. Working people need to come first. That’s the secret to a successful economy, but it’s really no secret at all.
It all comes back to one absolute truth: That each and every one of us should be decently paid for the work we do. That means having the right to join together and negotiate for better wages and benefits, a reasonable work schedule and a voice on the job. We know that being part of a union is the surest way to get better wages, equal pay, health care, sick days and vacation time. When we stand together, we’re stronger. But this is about more than dollars and cents: it’s about a better life, for all working people, no matter who you love or how you worship, no matter where you came from or what you do.
Our agenda is as big as it is bold. Fair trade. Health care. Equal pay for equal work. Decent pensions and a quality public education for every single child. Justice for immigrants and yes, #BlackLivesMatter.
Our vision can unite America. Washington is hungry for it. America is hungry for it. We can do it, because we’re the ones who drive the buses and run the trains. We build the bridges and lift the loads. We teach the classes and care for the sick. We clean the schools. We clear the roads and load the trucks. We build America and defend it. We do America’s work. We make America go. We want our share of the American Dream, brothers and sisters, and we’ll stand for it. We’ll march for it. And we’ll win it!
Today, in the beautiful city of Cleveland, Ohio, an ugly spectacle is taking place. I’m talking about the Republican National Convention, but it’s not ugly because it’s a function of the Republican Party. It’s ugly because many of today’s Republican leaders—foremost among them Donald Trump—are selfish, divisive, often racist and always mean-spirited.
The 2016 presidential election isn’t about left versus right or even Democrat versus Republican. It’s bigger than that. This year, we’re going to find out what we are made of as a country. Are we small-minded, mean and weak? Or are we ambitious, courageous and strong?
The answer is right here in Washington. We see the challenges, and we rise above them. We stand together. We find common ground. And when we get to work, we create abundance. That’s America.
And then there is Donald Trump. But before I talk about his lies, his hypocrisy and his fraudulence, I want to remind you how we got here.
Ever since Barack Obama was elected President, the Republican vocabulary has been reduced to one word: “No!”
No to creating jobs. No to raising wages. No to investing in roads and bridges. No to fairness for immigrants. No to racial justice. No to unions. No to a new direction on trade. No to a vote on the President’s Supreme Court nominee.
In their obsession with defeating and defying President Obama, Republican leaders have undermined the strength of America and prevented us from making desperately needed progress.
People are fed up. And we should be! By refusing to govern, Republican leaders have abandoned their responsibility and left all working people behind. And Donald Trump threatens to fill the void.
Through his actions, his words and his ideas, Trump is profoundly unfit to be president. And it’s not just me saying that. It’s Republican leaders, too. It’s Mitt Romney. It’s George W. Bush. Look how many Republicans aren’t at the convention this week.
Seventy percent of Americans view Trump unfavorably. Is it any wonder? Name any core American value, and Donald Trump is against it. Freedom of religion. Freedom of the press. Responsibility. Equality. Unity. Integrity. He stands against everything we stand for!
Listen to this: Trump thinks our wages are too high. Really, he said that.
Trump spent over half a million dollars trying to prevent employees at his hotel in Las Vegas from organizing. Workers won the election anyway, and now he is refusing to bargain a fair contract. How exactly does that make America great?
Trump actually rooted for the collapse of the housing and real estate market. He bet on himself and against America. People lost their homes, their jobs and their life savings. And Donald Trump was cheering all the way to the bank.
If there was any doubt Trump detests working people, just look who he chose as a running mate. Mike Pence repealed Indiana’s prevailing wage law. Carrier decided to move 1,400 good union jobs to Mexico on his watch. And Pence is an unabashed supporter of right to work.
Sisters and brothers, Donald Trump made himself rich by making the rest of us poor, and we are going to kick his ass in November.
You see, in the last few years, something has started to change in America. Working people have come alive. We have said “enough.” Enough to an economy designed to keep us down, lower our pay and damage our families and communities.
We’re ready to create a new economy where we set the terms and Wall Street and the wealthy elite follow the rules.
A year ago we made it clear that candidates must offer a bold and comprehensive raising wages agenda if they wanted to appeal to working people. Hillary Clinton did exactly that. She and Bernie Sanders had a substantive, passionate campaign that forever changed where the economic debate starts in America. It was one of the best primary contests I’ve ever seen. Bernie now stands with Hillary and so does the AFL-CIO.
Hillary Clinton is a pro-worker progressive who has always fought to make life better for working people, families and children. She is tough. She is smart. And she understands that to truly make America great, unions must lead the way.
When you think about it, the labor movement shares a lot in common with Hillary. Both of us have endured right-wing attacks for the better part of three decades. Both of us have been knocked down and counted out. And despite these obstacles, both of us have gotten back up time and time again.
The choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, well, it’s not a choice at all.
Just look at the trade issue. No one has fought harder or smarter against the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership than the people in this room. Here in Washington, we had to take on a Democratic president, two Democratic senators, and a handful of Democratic members of Congress. But we did it. Because our agenda drives our politics, not the other way around.
We changed the debate by focusing on trade rules, the structures that for too long have killed jobs and lowered wages. Two years ago, almost nobody thought these corporate trade deals could be stopped. Well something happened along the way. A groundswell of activism led by each of you slammed the brakes on the whole process. Our strength stunned the political establishment.
Because of your work, Congress does not have the votes to pass the TPP.
Because of your work, the Democratic Party just officially adopted the strongest pro-worker trade position in history.
And because of your work, Hillary Clinton not only opposes the TPP, she has called for an entirely new direction on trade.
You did that! Give yourselves a hand.
And what about Donald Trump? Trump talks a good game on trade, but his first and only loyalty is to himself. Trump embodies everything that is wrong with our current trade policies. He personally profited from NAFTA. He told students at Trump University that outsourcing creates jobs. And he has consistently sent American jobs overseas to line his own pockets. When it comes to fair trade, Donald Trump is nothing more than a con-man, a cheapskate and a fraud.
Sisters and brothers, the choice is clear. Hillary Clinton is our champion and we are going to elect her the next president of the United States! Washington will show us the way! And we’ll elect a Congress to work with her. We’ll rewrite the economic rules and create a new era of shared prosperity!
Yet listen, we understand an election is a beginning, not an end. We will hold every one of our elected leaders accountable, from the statehouse to the White House.
You see, our economy is not like the weather. It doesn’t just happen to us. No drought dried up our pensions. Greedy corporations drove down our wages. Ruthless CEOs and anti-worker politicians stole our pensions. Billionaires like Trump sold our jobs overseas, because our trade deals and tax policies encouraged him to.
What we do in Washington this year has the potential to transform our entire economy. It’s about having an equal shot and a fair shake. We’ll keep fighting. Keep marching. Keep building. To win a new era of good jobs, strong unions and raising wages.
Here in Washington, and across this country, America’s labor movement is unleashing the most comprehensive electoral program in our history.
You got a head start with your organizing to put Initiative 1433 on the ballot. In particular, I’m really proud of the way UFCW Locals 21 and 367 stepped up. I also want to congratulate the Washington Public Employees Association, SEIU 1199 Northwest and Teamsters Locals 117 and 38. It is clear to me that all of your members are passionate about social justice and raising wages. Don’t dial it back. You’ve got to keep the momentum, and turn your energy toward your labor-to-neighbor political education. That’s how we win elections.
If you live in a district with a competitive state senate seat, double your efforts. Think of the progress we can make with leaders who share our values.
And while I’m at it, every Washington resident here should have your primary ballots by now. So find that ballot. If you haven’t done so already, fill it out! Mail it in! And if you have questions about the candidates, look in your packet or reach out to your CLC. We won’t tell you who to vote for, but we will give you a list of endorsed candidates, and you can decide for yourself.
Our strength grows from our unity. Keep leading the way. Keep blazing a trail forward. As a national movement, we’ve been under attack so long, it can be hard to get out of a defensive crouch. But Washington has always shown us how to be proactive.
So it’s time to stand up strong, brothers and sisters. It’s time to mobilize and organize. This electoral season is all about raising wages. We’ll hit the worksites. We’ll talk to members. We’ll walk the streets and knock the doors. This is what a unified labor movement does. This is what it looks like when working people stand together, union strong!
We’ll fix what’s broken in our country. We’ll heal through solidarity. Together, we will create a better tomorrow. It won’t be easy. It won’t happen in an instance or through one election. We’ll have to work for it, sisters and brothers. Together. Each of us. With solidarity. Where your picket line is my picket line and my picket line is your picket line. Shoulder to shoulder. Arm in arm. All day. Every day. Voting. Fighting. Winning. Together. To bring out the best in each other and ourselves. To bring out the best in America. To build the nation we can have and must have and will have!
Thank you! And God bless you!