Texans highlight 2000 Convention

With the theme, "We Are Family," the 2000 Constitutional Convention of the Washington State Labor Council convened Aug. 21-24 in Tacoma with a decidedly political tone as delegates from affiliated unions heard from a number of speakers about the importance of the upcoming elections for working families -- including a couple of Texans that had plenty to say about their state's governor.

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson inspired some 500 delegates with an emotional, heartfelt plea for renewed union activism, saying: "The very life of our labor movement will be determined in 2000.  The future of our movement rests in your hands."

The native Texan described life in the Lone Star State under Governor George Bush.  Agricultural and domestic service workers earn $3.35 an hour, and Bush has repeatedly fought to prevent the Texas state legislature from voting to pass an increase.  He has privatized many family-wage public jobs, opposed the state Patient Bill of Rights and later took credit when it passed despite his veto threat, and he supports "Paycheck Deception" measures to restrict union political activity.

Likewise, banquet speaker Jim Hightower, a nationally syndicated radio commentator and populist activist kept delegates laughing with his Texas euphemisms, despite the unhappy details of the state's atrocious record on labor, environmental and civil rights issues.  Afterwards, delegates snapped up more than 100 personally autographed copies of his latest book, If God Had Meant Us to Vote, He Would Have Given Us Candidates, the proceeds for which went to the King County Labor Agency's food bank.

A "watershed" election

"This election in November will be a watershed event in labor history," exclaimed keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), whose fiery oratory brought delegates to their feet several times.  "It will determine whether we're going to protect the gains we've made."  He blasted Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush for his "hypocritical" so-called "compassionate criticism."

Likewise in his opening speech, WSLC President Rick Bender also denounced Bush, saying: "Everything we (labor) stand for, he's against.  Everything he stands for, we're against."  Bender cited Bush's intention to repeal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage laws, his opposition to minimum wage increases, his support of so-called Right-to-Work laws, his support of Paycheck Deception to restrict unions from the political process, and his plans to privatize Social Security.

Oregon AFL-CIO President Tim Nesbitt brought an ominous warning from his state where two anti-union "Paycheck Deception" measures will be on November's ballot designed to muzzle labor unions and prevent them not only from participating in the political process, but also lobbying their state legislators and congressional representatives.

Other highlights

-- Escorted to the podium by a group of several of the delegates' children, Governor Gary Locke congratulated the participants in the first-ever Special Student Session and told them, "You are the future of the labor movement."  The Governor made time to meet with the students privately before entering the convention so he could talk to them about the important role organized labor has played, and continues to play, in working people's lives.

Locke thanked delegates for their activism on behalf of working families in a speech that touched on everything from apprenticeship to union organizing, from ergonomic safety to state prevailing wage laws.  He received the loudest of many ovations when he promised he would continue to fight for full collective bargaining rights for our state's employees, saying we must "give our state's workers the same rights and privileges that city and county workers have."

-- The Mother Jones awards for outstanding advocacy on behalf of dislocated workers in Washington state were presented.  The Individual Award went to John Ancock, who recently retired from the state Department of Employment Security.  The Group Award went to the United Steelworkers of America for their extensive, ongoing support of 3,000 locked-out Kaiser Aluminum workers during the 23-month dispute scheduled to end next month following an arbitrated agreement.

-- Every year, the main business of the Washington State Labor Council convention is the deliberation, discussion and action on resolutions submitted by the affiliated union locals and councils.  And this years was no exception as a number of resolutions were debated and approved.  The 2000 WSLC Resolutions are posted at this site.

-- Maria Elena Durazo, International Vice President of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees, discussed how eager Latino workers are to become Americans and to participate in the labor movement here.  Durazo is also President of HERE Local 11 in Los Angeles, considered one of the most active rank-and-file unions in Southern California.

-- An impassioned plea from Loretta Ross, Executive Director of the Atlanta-based National Center for Human Rights Education, for heightened attention to the prejudice and racism that continues to exist in America in the 21st Century.

-- Rosalinda Aguirre, lead organizer for Washington State Jobs With Justice, was the honored with this year's Elsie Schrader Award from the WSLC Women's Committee for her years of activism on behalf of working women.

-- The WSLC's own Randy Loomans was presented the 2nd Annual Bruce Brennan award recognizing outstanding advocacy for and promotion of apprenticeship programs in the State of Washington.  In accepting the award, the WSLC Education and Safety Director, said "everything I have is because of apprenticeship." (She completed her apprenticeship with the Iron Workers.)

-- Convention delegates took action on political endorsements to supplement those voted upon at the April 15 Political Convention.

-- Many endorsed congressional and statewide candidates attended, thanked delegates for their endorsements, and encouraged them to continue to work hard through Election Day to get friends of working people elected to Congress and state legislature.