Since I've been to all three YearlyKos/Netroots Nation conventions, I can say that it has become almost a ritual.

Those of us in labor scratch our heads wondering why bloggers don't seem to read our diaries and send us to the top of the rec list.

"If they really care about labor, why doesn't the Netroots get more excited about our issues?" we ask.

Meanwhile, bloggers outside labor wonder what they can do to help us. Everyone I run into loves Labor, or at least recognizes how a strong labor movement helps the Progressive movement in general and, more specifically, Progressive candidates.

"How can we engage labor?" they ask. "What can we do to gain labor's support?"

Well, after three years at this sixth-grade dance -- where the boys and girls are still wondering if they should wait for the next song -- I think it's time to shake it up.

So, bloggers, wanna dance?

Barack Obama says that the American people -- despite their racial, geographic or demographic differences -- essentially share common aspirations. They want to be secure in their jobs, they want to be able to put food on the table and send their children to college. They want to be able to get health care without going bankrupt.

That was definitely what I found after crossing two states, as part of Hoffa's Working Class Convoy for Change. I've talked to Teamsters throughout Pennsylvania and Indiana and over and over again they struck the same chords:

Updated with photos

(U.S. 90, INDIANA) - This is my second convoy in about three weeks and I have to say that while the pace is grueling, it is has been one of my favorite Teamster experiences so far.

This is my first presidential campaign with the Teamsters, and although I've attended other rallies, marches and big events, this is my first chance to get to talk with a large number of members one-on-one.

That's the heart and soul of the work-site visit, and why it is the foundation of Union political organizing.

The vibe is definitely different in Indiana, especially in Hammond and Gary, which lay on the fringes of Chicago, Obama's home turf and where we kicked off our two-day trek across the Hoosier state.

The Teamsters are warming up the trucks and are ready to roll across Indiana. We take off bright and early tomorrow on the first of our two-day trek across the Hoosier state.

I'm writing this piece primarily to draw people's attention to my last two posts.

Site glitches blocked me from the recent diaries list on Wednesday so I opened my Thursday diary in the morning trying to redirect people to it. The good stuff, photos, video and our last work site visit didn't go up until later.

So here are the links to my coverage of our three-day adventure across Pennsylvania, and a few reflections on the trip:

It's the last day in Pennsylvania and we're both exhausted and excited. We were up early this morning to greet UPS drivers in Pittsburgh. A lot of guys from the local came out to join us. It's always great to see the locals turn out. They are the ones who have the real connection with the members.

For the average member, it's a treat to see their General President, but it is the day-to-day contact they have with their stewards and business agents that has a lasting effect.

(MILE MARKER 307, PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE) -- If you want to see the reality of free trade agreements, visit Reading Pennsylvania. Today we met a group of 50 or so Teamsters who make York Pepermint Patties.

They will all be out of work by the end of the year. Their jobs are being shipped to Mexico.

Updated with visits to Allentown
Updated with photos

The day started early, with the wheels rolling at 6:30 a.m. to Ocean Logistics, a warehouse distribution company that supplies health and beauty products to A&P stores up and down the East Coast.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa began campaigning with his first handshake with Local 229 principal officer Bob Webber. "This is all about Obama. He's talking about striker replacement, you know, things we were talking about ten years ago; things we've forgotten about; EFCA, this is important."

Use this Google Map to track the convoy, and watch for more updates throughout the day.

(SCRANTON, PA.) – Jim Hoffa and the Teamsters are poised to begin their sweep across Pennsylvania, hitting work sites and talking to workers across the state about how their votes in the upcoming Democratic primary will have a lasting impact on their jobs, and the national economy.

Attention Pennsylvania bloggers: The Teamsters are going to be rolling through the state. General president Jim Hoffa will be leading the convoy of Teamster trucks from Scranton to Pittsburgh.

Hoffa and the Teamsters will be stopping at a number of union work sites along the way to rally members before the April 22 Democratic primary.

More than 5,800 United Airline mechanics became Teamsters yesterday. When word of the nationwide election results reached the Teamsters Organizing Department moments after the votes were tallied, cheers and screams literally rang out.

The celebration capped a three-month frenzy of organizing activity. From January through March nearly 19,000 workers have chosen to be represented by the Teamsters. That figure nearly eclipses all of 2007’s organizing gains. In all of last year, roughly 21,000 men and women became Teamsters.

Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters maintains her reckless indifference to the economic struggles of working Americans. She continues to break the law by way of continuing with the Mexican Trucking Program, a "Pilot Program" that places us all in harm's way. While she sleeps soundly, we acknowledged a week of National Sleep Awareness.

The NTSB has said that driver fatigue is a leading killer of drivers throughout the United States, something that the Teamsters Union have said for a long time now, and have repeatedly asked how American drivers are relegated to an 11-hour day while Mexican drivers get 11-hours when they first hit our borders? Is that safe? Who wants to be near an 40-ton vehicle driven by a driver on his 19th hour? Not me.  

Hundreds of Teamsters gathered in San Francisco this week to protest United Airlines' proposed plan to cut 4,500 jobs from its maintenance facility there, this should explain why.

Two words: Replacement workers.

When a guy working with a union has the opportunity to spend a little time to write about a VICTORY, such as the one ratified at the New Era Cap Company this past weekend, there is a particular excitement that is hard to explain. You see, I am a firm believer that what pushed this campaign forward was the activist support found at this website and many others, and for that, I thank you on behalf of 1.4 million Teamsters!

The NAACP validated yesterday what we've been saying all along about New Era Cap Company; that it finds New Era in gross violation of workers' basic Civil Rights.

Last week the Chicago Tribune and the Teamsters wrote about a recent development with First Student, the largest private school bus company in North America.

The gist of the news is this: FirstStudent has hired an internal monitor in an effort to watch over the workers’ unionization effort; however they did so with no consultation from the Teamsters.

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday – a lifelong union supporter and Civil Rights giant. While many of us will take the day to get caught up on laundry, shopping and watching soap operas, some of us will hit this post to learn about a Civil Rights issue happening today and will take action in the name of the leader whose day we celebrate.