How Will You Ensure Your Membership Will Not Be Sold out by the Obama Administration Again?
On Thursday, union leaders, including AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers President Edwin Hill, talked about their Workers Stand for America rally to be held in Philadelphia on August 11.
This comes off to me as part of a list of rallies that "progressive groups" hold just before each election. In 2010, it was the One Nation rally. In 2004, 2006, 2008 it was United for Peace and Justice holding rallies in D.C. just before each election. It's part of how would-be independent movements are reduced to political surrogates.
I asked Trumka about Obama's record and his own:
Husseini: In 2008, the AFL-CIO had the Employee Free Choice Act as the number one legislative priority while backing the Obama campaign. Once Obama entered office that was pretty dropped from public discussion, never to be seen again. Meanwhile, Obama has pursued a whole series of anti-workers measure such as the "Colombia Free Trade" deal to education so-called reform, to the recent TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] secretive trade deal. What’s AFL-CIO doing this time around to ensure that its members will not again be sold out by the Obama administration?
Trumka: Well, first off, I am not going to characterize your rather partisan question, I am not going to honor the question that he "sold out." Have we had policy disagreements? Yes, but I defy you to find a president, including Franklin Deleano Roosevelt, that we didn’t have a policy disagreement with over the years. You might also add that he saved the auto industry and brought back hundreds and thousands of jobs in the auto industry, he created 4.2 million jobs with the stimulus package that he had to fight tooth and nail against the Republican Party to get done, he named a Secretary of Labor who has done more to help us with fair labor standards and enforcement of health and safety laws than anybody else did. This president has stood on the side of workers. Yes, you will recall that there are two sides in Congress. One is the Republican side, who adamantly filibustered everything that we try to get done. And it wasn't forgotten, we continue to talk about the Employment Free Choice Act and we continue to have that as a legislative priority. We will continue to do that in the next administration.
What will we do? Well, we'll be forcing people. We'll be a little more aggressive with friends and foes in the next election when it comes to things like fair treatment and dignity on the job and the ability of workers to have a place [inaudible]. We will be a little more aggressive with those and alittle less, let's say, understanding.
Husseini: If I might follow up --
Moderator: Next question.
Trumka's depicts the question as "partisan" but it is he who is the partisan here. He talks about being "more aggressive with friends and foes" -- but is hardly being more aggressive with Obama in his response here. Specifically, no post-election strategy is indicated here.
Trumka Declines to Respond to Policy Criticism from Challenger for AFL-CIO Top Spot
Husseini: Corporate Crime Reporter had a profile pieceof Harry Kelber, I guess is how you pronounce his name, who's challenging you, Mr. Trumka, for the presidency of the AFL. Corporate Crime Reporter writes: “Kelber eviscerates the leaders of the AFL-CIO for not challenging the corrupt corporate establishment in Washington, for paying 131 executives more than $100,000 a year and for censoring any criticism of the Iraq war” and goes on to quote Mr. Kelber, if I'm pronouncing his name correctly: "Trumka makes speeches to please the membership, but there is no action to do anything. He comes out as an advocate of change and he ends up without change. He had all kinds of possible opportunity for non violent action [moderator interrupts] to express the discontent of the American workers."
How do you respond to [this] criticism? I assume -- it’s not limited to someone who happens to be challenging you. There are people within labor who feel like you haven’t produced.Trumka: You mean there are people in labor that don’t love me? [laughter]
Husseini: They do love you, they just feel like you haven't produced. I'm sure they love everybody.
Trumka: Sha! First of all, I am tempted to quote Bryce Harper: “That was a clown question, bro.” But I won’t. [laughter]
Husseini: You won't?
Trumka: Look, I'm [inaudible] to know Harry Kelber's running against me. But I guess it's probably the best kept secret in the labor movement. But Harry's run against three I think -- every time I’ve run or John Sweeney's run, so he’s been around. He has his right. If he’s a union member, he has his right to throw his hat in, just like every other union member, like I did when I ran at the local level or the district level. And, like every other election, the memberships will decide. They'll decide whether Harry, who is an interesting man, to say the least -- and by the way, I helped Harry be able to speak at the convention, even though he wasn’t a delegate. I convinced the delegates to let him speak at a convention a number of years ago because I thought people have the right to be heard. I wish him well, I hope his health is good, I hope he does a lot of good things to help labor.
Husseini: Can you respond to any of the specifics here? --
Moderator: Next question please --
Trumka [to Husseini]: Oh come on.
Sam Husseini is founder of WashingtonStakeout.com. Thanks to Hank Pin for video and transcription.