LEAP delegates find new energy, hope on Capitol Hill

Changing unfair trade laws gains momentum

THE ATMOSPHERE IN Washington, D.C., crackles with an electric charge these days. It’s as if 12 years of frustration and oppression under an anti-worker Congress — and six years under an anti-worker administration — have been pushed aside and a new current of energy and hope has surged in.

An enthusiastic Bridget Martin, director of the government affairs department, put it this way: “We kicked some serious butt!” Her remark came as she addressed the 39th annual conference of the Legislative Education Action Program (LEAP) just a short distance from Capitol Hill.

She was referring, of course, to the new Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate. Those majorities have the opportunity to change the legislative priorities in favor of working families, families that have suffered from stagnant wages, job loss, and other ills for more than a decade. And many in Congress seem to have awakened to a fresh respect for unions, thanks to organized labor’s impressive — and successful — get-out-the-vote effort that swept numerous free traders out of office and fair traders in.

Boilermaker delegates from across the country heard from presidential candidate and former senator John Edwards. They listened to guest speakers from Congress and lobbied congressmen on Capitol Hill. They learned about the real-life challenges of congressmen from a leadership consultant who works with politicians. They heard from an authority on the dangers of free trade. They received an update on the state of the Boilermakers union from International President Newton B. Jones. And they took home information, advice, and inspiration from the government affairs department.

Edwards stresses middle-class roots

U.S. Presidential candidate John Edwards
U.S. Presidential candidate John Edwards

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina and the former vice presidential candidate on the Kerry-Edwards ticket in 2004, received a rousing welcome from Boilermaker delegates as he presented his stand on some of the key issues facing the country. Edwards, who changed his schedule so he could address the LEAP conference, stressed his middle class roots and allegiance to organized labor.

“My dad never went to college; he worked in cotton mills all his life,” Edwards said. He added that when people worry about losing “good” manufacturing jobs, they tend “to forget that those weren’t good jobs before unions [existed]. It was organized labor that turned those into good jobs.” Edwards said the middle class is in serious trouble. “We’ve got to strengthen the eroding middle class. It’s the heart and soul of what America is supposed to be. And the middle class is made up of working men and women like you, like the people you represent. People like my mother and my father, the family I come from.”

“Whatever happens, including when I’m occupying the White House, I will stand with you. And I won’t stand with you reluctantly. I will stand with you proudly.”
— John Edwards, presidential candidate and former U.S. senator

Edwards, who ran a poverty center at the University of North Carolina the last few years, told Boilermakers, “The greatest anti-poverty movement in American history is the organized labor movement.” He said labor laws must be changed so unions have a real chance. “We ought to put the law behind working people, not on the side of multi-national corporations. We need serious labor law reform to make it easy to organize workers.”

In reference to the Employee Free Choice Act, which would require union recognition if a simple majority of workers sign cards (rather than requiring an NLRB election), Edwards commented: “Now the way I look at it is if someone can sign their name to join the Republican Party, any worker in America ought to be able to sign a card and join a union.”

Edwards said he is proud that he is the only candidate of either party to offer “a very specific, substantive, truly universal health care plan, so that everyone in America would have health care coverage.” His plan would require that employers either cover their employees or pay into a fund to provide coverage. Americans would have the option of having private insurance, subsidized by the government, or government insurance similar to the current Medicare program.

The former senator urged delegates to listen carefully to what other candidates say about unions. “When they’re not talking [to unions], do they ever use the word ‘union’? Do they ever talk about organizing? When they’re speaking to a Chamber of Commerce somewhere in America, do you think the word ‘union’ comes out of their mouths? I’m telling you what we need in America is leaders who say the same thing to the world that they say to you.

“Whatever happens, including when I’m occupying the White House, I will stand with you. And I won’t stand with you reluctantly. I will stand with you proudly. Because what you are doing every single day is what unions have done for my family. My mother and father have health care today because of unions — [it is] the only reason they have health care.”

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Republican congressman seeks labor’s advice

Timothy Murphy (R-PA 18th)
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA 18th)

REPRESENTATIVE Timothy Murphy(R-PA 18th) spoke to LEAP delegates about the special relationship he has with Boilermakers Local 154 (Pittsburgh) and other local unions in his district as well as with International unions. Murphy said he stays in touch with unions through a labor advisory board. Moreover, he sponsors an annual event in which all labor leaders in the district are invited to meet with him and other members of Congress.

“We have a great dialogue and a great exchange,” he said. “It’s of great value when you sit down at a table with six or eight elected members of Congress and say, ‘Let’s talk plainly about how issues affect our locals.’” Murphy said he is the only member of Congress who sponsors such an event, and he strongly urges other congressmen and local unions to do something similar.

Thanks to the labor advisory board, says Murphy, he looks at issues not only on a global level but also on a local level, where workers are impacted. “It is because of that [perspective],” he said, “that we work with other congressional members and support the Employee Free Choice Act and things that involve Davis-Bacon, prevailing wage, and health care.” Murphy was one of only 13 Republicans voting in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act.

“This is not about us fighting each other. This is about us fighting together.”
— Rep. Timothy Murphy (R-PA 18th)

The congressman made it clear that he understands and appreciates the role of organized labor in our economy, stating: “We need the growth of jobs here in our nation and the quality assurance that comes from well-trained, quality apprentices and journeymen to make sure the job is done right the first time. The best use of taxpayer dollars is to make sure the job is done right the first time. The best assurance I’ve ever seen of that is in the building trades.”

Murphy also discussed the need to solve the health care crisis and to develop energy solutions. He said his dream is “to see business and labor leaders sit in a room and roll up their sleeves and say, ‘We’re tired of this. We’re going to fix this [health care] system once and for all.’” He added that resolving energy problems can be achieved “by using exploration, diversification, and conservation.” He added: “I believe that if we set forth with the same passion and drive that President Kennedy challenged us with — in order to put a man on the moon and return within 10 years — I believe we can cut our energy imports in half. The Boilermakers are right at the heart of this, and labor overall is at the heart of this. What I want to see us continue to do, linked together, is make sure we move America forward. This is not about us fighting each other. This is about us fighting together.”

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Rep. Sutton pushes hard for trade changes

Rep. Betty Sutton
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH 13th)

Freshman congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-OH 13th) appeared at the LEAP conference to thank Boilermakers for supporting her during the 2006 midterm elections and to talk about fair trade and other issues. “Your efforts mattered a great deal,” she said. “I would not be standing here today without your support, and I want you to know that.”

Sutton first showed up on the Boilermakers’ political radar screen thanks to the Firefighters union, which alerted Bridget Martin of Sutton’s strong pro-union stance. A former labor attorney, Sutton told delegates, “My father worked in a Boilermaker factory his entire life in Barberton, Ohio, so as you might imagine, I feel a special connection with you in this room and with those you represent — the good, fine, hard-working people we’re all honored to serve.”

Sutton has received acclaim recently for leading the effort of freshman congressmen to be involved in the Democratic Party’s trade reform efforts. In a letter to Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY 15th), chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Sutton and her colleagues said it was important that they be “able to deliver on the promise we made to our constituents to move our nation in a new direction on trade.”

“Nothing in my experience as a labor lawyer was more frustrating than watching employers use tactics beyond belief to prevent unions from organizing.”
— Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH 13th)

Addressing LEAP, Sutton said, “We must develop a trade model in this country that does not put American workers and American business at a disadvantage. A trade model with labor and environmental standards that will lift up workers, both here and abroad, that will protect our environment, both here and abroad, that is enforceable, that will stop the manipulation and unfair trade practices in a race to the bottom.”

Sutton was also a cosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act [EFCA]. She said, “Nothing in my experience as a labor lawyer was more frustrating than watching employers use tactics beyond belief to prevent unions from organizing. So, yes [with the House passage of EFCA], we are making progress.”

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Lampson will involve Boilermakers

Rep. Nick Lampson
Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX 22nd)

Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX 22nd) told delegates he was anxious to return to the U.S. House, especially since he took over the seat formerly held by arch-conservative Tom DeLay. Indicted by the state of Texas for breaking fund-raising laws and also the subject of a federal probe, DeLay withdrew his bid for re-election in 2006. Lampson defeated a write-in Republican candidate in the midterm election.

Lampson told delegates, “I think we did give ourselves and the country a new direction by stopping the kind of politics that Tom DeLay brought to the United States Congress and that he also brought to the state of Texas. We’ve got to find ways to have members of Congress caring about the people first and our communities first, our jobs, our future first — not just the power of our parties. I’m a loyal Democrat; I’ll continue to be a loyal Democrat; but I’m going to vote for the things that are right.”

Lampson noted that he has been named chair of the Science and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment. He said, “Hopefully, we’ll be able to find good ways to involve [Boilermakers]…to find ways to solve the problems that face the United States and the world. Hard-working American families have been feeling the pinch in energy for many years. It’s high time that Congress finally does something sensible about it.”

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Barrett describes life “under the bubble”

Dr. Tom Barrett
Dr. Tom Barrett, consultant to Congress

SIXTY-SEVEN SQUARE miles…surrounded by reality. That, said Dr. Tom Barrett, a consultant and trainer, as he addressed the LEAP conference, is “the best definition I ever heard of Washington, D.C.”

Witty and inspirational, Barrett spends much of his time training congressmen in leadership skills and coaching them on how to handle the stress of being in the spotlight in the surreal world of our nation’s capital — what Barrett refers to as life “under the bubble.” After 25 years of working in D.C., Barrett has become an authority on the public and private lives of congressmen. He shared some of his insights with the Boilermaker delegates and passed on helpful suggestions on how to connect with legislators when lobbying.

“One of the things that goes on in D.C.,” Barrett said, “is people think they’re so bright and so sophisticated they forget all the common sense, grass-root, daily life issues. And that’s why I’m so appreciative of you being here.”

Barrett went on to describe the mood in D.C. as “changing and dynamic.” He noted that there has been a lot of bitterness between parties, and that it is difficult for a member on one side of the aisle to be friends with a member on the other. He said congressmen tell him privately that they hunger for a statesman — a leader who has a vision for the future. He explained that many members of Congress today “think like a business,” worrying only about the next quarter’s profit. “Politicians are caught in the same game now. All they can see is the next election.”

Barrett told delegates to expect more openness from Republicans, because they are hungry after losing their majorities. And he added that Democrats will want to hold on to what they won and increase their numbers.

“Politicians are caught in the same game now. All they can see is the next election.”
— Dr. Tom Barrett, congressional consultant

Barrett says congressmen are susceptible to believing a common myth, that “Who I am and what I do is so important that I am exempt from the ordinary responsibilities of life.” He tells congressmen that the reality is, “The ripple of your absence will only be felt in one place — your home. Washington will not skip a beat when you are gone.” He counsels congressmen to reserve time for their families and not to lose sight of why they came to Washington in the first place.

Barrett said congressmen live in fear of being too open with people and revealing private information that could be used against them. So they put “a game face on and look larger than life.” However, the truth is that they are “remarkably ordinary.” He advised delegates: “If I can get you to connect with them at their ordinary level, your impact with them will change and your relationship will change.”

Barrett encourages Boilermakers to find common interests — such as a hobby — and use those interests to break down the game face and begin a real relationship.

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Engel takes home Legislator of Year award

Rep. Eliot Engel
Eliot Engel (D-NY 17th), center, displays his Legislator of the Year award. L. to r. are Local 5 BM-ST Jerry Connolly, Local 5 VP and Ass’t. BM Tom Klein, Local 7 BM-ST Joe Brown, Local 7 LEAP coordinator Jeremiah Flagg, and director of government affairs Bridget Martin.

ONE OF THE Boilermakers’ best friends in Congress, Eliot Engel (D-NY 17th), received a warm welcome from delegates as he was presented the 2006 Legislator of the Year Award. IP Newton Jones made the presentation following remarks by the congressman.

Engel told the conference, “I am truly honored to speak before the Boilermakers,” and noted that he comes from a union family. His father was a Steelworker and he himself was a unionized teacher. He said he was also proud to have a 100 percent AFL-CIO voting record.

Engel, along with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC 2nd) introduced the first-ever Boilermaker bill in Congress last year, seeking to exempt Boilermakers from annual limits on H-2B visas. The legislation is important because it would help Canadian members enter the United States temporarily when needed to supplement U.S. Boilermakers performing outage work. Currently, there are caps on how many workers from other countries may enter the U.S. each year, and those caps could prevent Canadian Boilermakers from doing so at a critical time.

Engel told LEAP delegates he was also proud to help lead the charge against an effort by the National Labor Relations Board that would expand the definition of supervisors. This action would deny union membership to thousands of skilled workers who sometimes instruct their co-workers.

Engel also was a co-sponsor and strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, which passed the House earlier this year.

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Activist details “free” trade dangers

Lori Wallach
Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

LORI WALLACH, DIRECTOR of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, told delegates that so-called free trade threatens not only manufacturing employees but the construction trades as well. Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed in 1993, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) was formed in 1994, three million American manufacturing jobs have been lost, she said. And, if left unchecked, proposed free trade agreements (FTAs) with Panama, Peru, Colombia, and Korea, could harm the trades as well.

The danger for U.S. construction workers, Wallach warned, is that governments signing on to FTAs agree to abide by all the laws and regulations in the trade agreements — even if the laws of those countries say something different. And if there is a conflict, a foreign tribunal meets in secret to decide the issue. Thus, if Davis-Bacon or federal procurement laws conflict with the FTAs, the U.S. could be faced with having to change those laws or pay trade penalties until the laws are changed.

“We have a whole set of trade rules now that have been written under a system that lets 500 big corporations…act as the official U.S. trade advisors.”
— Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

Wallach also explained that the proposed FTAs would permit foreign companies to bid on highway, bridge, energy, and other construction projects and bring their own work forces into the U.S. to do the work. Obviously, this would create unfair competition for U.S. workers. In addition, foreign employers who fail to comply with U.S. laws controlling safety, health, environmental, or other protections, could circumvent U.S. courts and plead their case directly to a foreign tribunal, Wallach noted.

Fortunately, said Wallach, new majorities in Congress should be able to fix the worst parts of the proposed agreements (initial talks with Peru and Panama have already been completed).

Wallach, who has appeared as a trade commentator on CNN, ABC, C-SPAN, and other media, also slammed fast track as a complete failure. Fast track enables a president to negotiate trade deals and then send them to Congress for an up or down vote. Congress cannot negotiate any provisions of a fast track deal — it can only approve or reject the deal. Often these trade deals contain provisions that hurt American workers and infringe upon our laws as a sovereign nation, yet Congress has passed them anyway. Fast track deals have led to a widening economic gap between the rich and the middle and lower classes in the U.S., and have not helped poorer workers in developing countries, as fast track supporters claimed would happen.

“What our problem is here,” said Wallach, “is not fair trade per se. The question is: Under what rules? We have a whole set of trade rules now that have been written under a system that lets 500 big corporations, including a bunch of non-U.S. corporations, act as the official U.S. trade advisors. So is it shocking that we end up with crappy trade agreements? No! If we change the rules, and write them to our benefit, we can change the outcome.”

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“Our union is on a good track.”

IP Newton B. Jones
IP Newton B. Jones

IP NEWTON B. JONES updated delegates about where the Boilermakers union is headed. “Our union is on a good track,” he stated, citing the highly productive consolidated convention last year, in which delegates approved measures to strengthen the union’s finances and operations.

Jones briefly covered other topics, including the health of the national funds; a proposed new development site for the new Boilermakers’ office complex (about 15 miles west of the current headquarters); possible changes to the construction Boilermakers’ referral rules; a construction Boilermakers’ direct deposit initiative; the new Canadian travel card program; and the status of shipbuilding contracts.

He reported that the International Executive Council decided not to endorse a candidate for the U.S. presidency at this time, because candidates are still announcing. “But there is going to come a time when we need to make an endorsement or sit back, and I don’t think we’re the kind of organization that sits back,” he said. “We need to poll our membership and do some surveys.”

“There is going to come a time when we need to make an endorsement or sit back, and I don’t think we’re the kind of organization that sits back.”
— IP Newton Jones

In a poignant moment, Government Affairs Department (GAD) Director Bridget Martin asked IP Jones to take back home to IP Emeritus C.W. Jones an award from GAD in honor of his 65 years of service to the Boilermakers union. She then presented IP Newton Jones with his own award.

Conference wraps up, but work continues

BY THE END of the LEAP conference, delegates were concluding meetings with their congressmen on Capitol Hill (see related story elsewhere in this issue) and heading back to their respective locals to share information with their lodge members.

Of course the work of the government affairs department and the local lodge legislative committees does not end once the conference is over. With the U.S. presidential race already heating up, the Boilermakers union will be evaluating candidates and considering who best will represent our interests — with the hope of a new direction for America in 2008.

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