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:
This is the second of a two-part series on the Teamsters Indiana Convoy For Change. You can read about Day One Here.
This was the Teamsters second Convoy in support of our endorsed candidate, Sen. Barack Obama. You can also read about days One, Two and Three of our Pennsylvania Convoy.
- They want a president who isn't afraid to utter the word union.
- They want fair labor laws; laws that do not put unfair burdens on unions while letting union-busting employers break the rules with impunity.
- They want to keep jobs in America, instead of shipping them off to Mexico or China.
- They want to fill up their cars without going broke.
- They want the news media to tell them where candidates stand on substantive issues, rather than rehash or invent the latest controversy.
- They are cynical of a system in Washington that favors giant corporate interests over the interests and needs of common working people.
But, said Les, a retired Teamster freight driver who came out to Local 135 in Indianapolis to hear Hoffa speak on Friday, "it's like a pendulum. It can only swing so far in one direction before it has to swing back," he said, his wife Judy nodding in agreement. "We've been hurt so much by the Republicans, gas is so high, everything is more expensive, jobs keep going overseas and people are just sick of what's happening to this country. It's got to swing back."
In Hammond, I talked for a moment with a handful of drivers huddled in a small break area. I wanted to know what they thought of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright:
"I think it will be an issue as long as the media keeps making it one," said one driver.
"You go to church to serve God," said another, "not to follow man."
"I think it is irrelevant," said a third. "I wish they would just get back to talking about the issues. The media is pushing this story to keep it alive so they can get ratings. For people who are against him, it just gives them one more reason to be against him, that's all. I think most people see it for what it is."
We left Fort Wayne and drove to Indianapolis Thursday evening. Empty factories and boarded up businesses caught our attention. According to the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Indiana has lost 109,800 manufacturing jobs since 2000.
Talking to workers across the state I gathered a pretty good list of manufacturers who moved to Mexico, China or elsewhere thanks to America's failed trade policies (many of which started under Bill Clinton's administration, which Hillary constantly runs away from). In no particular order:
- SuperValu cut more than 200 jobs because of competition from Wal-Mart and their dependence on low-wage, foreign-manufactured goods, as well as their vehemently anti-union distribution network. (Don't forget, Hillary was a board member of Wal-Mart)
- Magnavox
- RCA
- Dana Corp.
- Magnequench, which Hillary talks frequently about on the stump, neglecting to tell Hoosiers her husband's administration (the one she relies on for her experience) allowed the sale of this smart-bomb parts maker to Chinese investors.
I'm sure there are plenty more, but these were the ones that came up in conversation.
So what kinds of jobs are taking their place, I asked a couple of business agents in Indianapolis. Are new high tech jobs coming in to fill the void? No. There's Wal Mart, Honda, and other non-union businesses. But these displaced workers will never be able to find jobs that offer the pay and benefits they once had.
An Old Battleground Revisited
It wasn't all doom and gloom in Indianapolis. Our first stop was UPS Freight, which holds a significant place in Teamster history.
Before being purchased by UPS in 2005, the freight company was known as Overnite Transportation.
For more than 50 years, Overnite fought Teamster organizing efforts. The tide started to turn in 1994, when working conditions got so bad that Overnite's drivers began standing up for their rights. From 1994-1999, the union was able to organize about 40 Overnite terminals.
But organizing is only half the battle. Without a union contract, the drivers were Teamsters in name only. The company refused to negotiate, and began to harass and intimidate union supporters. It was one of the ugliest union-busting campaigns in recent history.
The union filed more than 1,000 unfair labor practice complaints -- including harassment, intimidation, unlawful surveillance, unlawful discharge and bad faith bargaining -- against Overnite. It was even revealed later that the company paid $10,000 to an employee to damage trucks and frame union organizers.
On October 24, 1999, the Teamsters launched what would become the longest national freight strike in history. This 2001 letter from Jim Hoffa to an Overnite worker explains what workers faced.
The strike ended three years later without a contract. The company then pushed decertification campaigns at its unionized terminals.
But hope sprung again when UPS purchased Overnite. The parcel company is the Teamsters' largest employer. And in 2006, the union won a neutrality agreement from UPS.
That meant that if the union were to secure signed union authorization cards from the majority of workers, UPS would not force an NLRB election. The union could essentially organize without interference from the company.
These are the same conditions that would be imposed under the Employee Free Choice Act. Unfortunately, a lot of people believe the anti-union ads that say Employee Free Choice would remove the right to secret ballot elections. But nothing could be further from the truth. All the act does is remove the employer's ability to force a second election. The employees can choose to organize using authorization cards or secret elections. It puts control in the hands of the voter instead of the dictator, and what could be more democratic than that?
The Indianapolis UPS Freight facility was the first unit to organize under this new agreement, and the first former Overnite workers to achieve representation under a Teamster contract.
The visit meant a lot to Hoffa. "I wanted to say thank you. You broke the ice on what has turned into a historic campaign. As of now, we have organized more than 10,500 workers at UPS Freight, and it all started with you," Hoffa told the collection of drivers and dock workers.
"We've got a great contract and everyone wants to be a part of it," he said. "You know when that strike ended I said we'd be coming back for you guys, and we did. The Teamsters are growing and the Teamsters are strong and that's because of people like you."
But Hoffa was there to talk about Barack Obama. He told the workers that Obama is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, and that he is the only candidate who supports a law banning permanent replacements for striking workers.
"That means if you go out on strike -- and nobody wants strikes -- that you'll get your job back when the strike is over. Those scabs won't be able to keep your job," Hoffa said.
After hearing Hoffa's address, dock worker Susan Richey, said she was sticking with her union in the election. "I believe unions are going to come back stronger than ever. They've got to. When you have people out there who can't afford to feed their families, they're going to realize that they can stand up and form unions."
250,000 strong
Later in the day we stopped by Teamsters Local 135 for a rally. Despite the looming storm clouds it was strong turnout.
Not only were there probably close to 200 Teamsters, but also about 75 UNITE-HERE volunteers and a few SEIU members who had come by to show their support. UNITE-HERE and the Obama campaign are working their canvasing efforts out of the Local 135 offices.
Once again, Hoffa got the crowd fired up with his message of change and Obama's support for working men and women.
"You know I looked him in the eye and he said he wanted to work with the Teamsters. He said 'I will be your champion. I want the Teamsters to believe in me.' No one else was willing to say that," Hoffa said. "Hillary didn't say that. She's about NAFTA, free trade with China; she's more of the same.
"And then there's McBush. If you want to give George Bush a third term, your choice is McCain. Does anybody want that?"
"NO!" the crowd shouted back.
"Are you sick and tired of the rich getting richer and the rest of us getting nothing?" Hoffa shouted.
"Yes!" the crowd responded.
"Are you sick and tired of high gas prices and record profits for oil companies?"
"Yes!" the crowd answered.
"Are you sick and tired of bad trade deals that send our jobs go to Mexico and China?"
"YES!"
"Then we need to make a change. And that change starts with you. Look around you. I see members of UNITE-HERE and some from SEIU if you put us all together we probably have 100,000 votes right here in Indiana. Now add your husbands and wives or girlfriends or boyfriends, friends and relatives. If we mobilize all these people that's 250,000 votes right there. And 250,000 votes can change Indiana.
"Can we do that? When you go to the polls can you take your brothers and sisters? Can you take your wives and husbands; your boyfriends and girlfriends? Can you take your aunts and uncles and mothers and fathers? Can you take whoever? Because we can make a change, can't we?"
"YES WE CAN!"