May 20, 2008: Remarks at the Machinists Legislative Conference
May 21, 2008
Marcy's remarks at the 2008 International Association of Machinists(IAM) Legislative Conference, where she was presented with the OfficialFighting Machinist Eagle award. The presentation followed a videocommemorating her October 2007 speech on the Machinists strike atKennedy Space Center. [Text of that speech here.]
I am proud to be here today with Members of a great union. You knowwhat it takes to build a strong America, with a strong middle class. ToPresident Tom Buffenbarger, let me say I appreciate the fact you don’tmince words. I always know what you mean. This stands in stark contrastto Congress, in which I work, where so often when someone finishestheir remarks, you don’t know whether they are for or against what theyhave just spoken about.
I am honored to be here this morning on behalf of every human being whohas gathered the courage to stand up and say: “My work has worth.” Thevalue of the work I do -- both mind and body—deserves full legalstanding as a “right of contract.” It should not be casual, nor daylabor, nor bonded, nor at will…but by law.
This bold passage to a brave, new consciousness of the worth of human work, sadly, does not belong to all people. But it should.
The struggle for labor rights has been noble. And it has been grizzly.It is global in dimension. It always has been. Just ask the descendantsof slaves. Recently, in Congress, as another Nafta-like trade agreement-- this time for Peru --was being shoved down our throats, the minersof Peru struck from Monday to Wednesday. They did all they could dosend a message to Congress to defeat that agreement. Some in Congressheard their call. A majority did not. Now, there is another Nafta-likeagreement proposed for Columbia that is being held in suspension for avote in Congress. But we don’t know when because of the approachingelections. Yet over 30 labor leaders of Columbia have been assassinatedthis year already.
Labor’s struggle holds hope that there is a way for us to attain thepromised land in this life, not the next. The struggle for laborreminds me of the words from the Broadway Musical Les Miserables; “Willyou join in my parade, will you be strong and stand with me, it is themusic of a people who will not be slaves again.”Once I took a businessman to that show on Broadway and afterwards wehad dinner. He asked me: “What was that story all about?” I don’t getit.” He had no consciousness.
A few weeks ago, an elderly woman in my church came up to me andlamented “Marcy, our country doesn’t belong to us anymore. Go back toWashington, and keep fighting!!”
Her family you see had experienced middle class job outsourcing, andloss of health insurance. She would be uplifted to know we are heretoday to join our voices for her family and America’s working families.
Let’s call her “Mrs. America.” Mrs. America understands our nation’sstandard of living is at stake when a fine company like Maytag shutsdown in Newton, Iowa and moves production to Mexico and Singapore.Thousands of Americans were out of work just because Lester Crownthinks he should earn billions more off a cheapened product and cheaplabor. He hurt America. Maytag was a great product and it helped ournation’s productivity including by lifting the burden off women who hadto do most of that laundry in the past.
Mrs. America understands our nation’s standard of living is at stakewhen the Bush Adm awards a major Dept. of Defense contract to a firmfrom a foreign country that is non union and puts its footprint down ina right to work state. Let me assure you, as a member of the DefenseAppropriations subcommittee of the U.S. House, when that proposal comesbefore us this year, my vote will be Buy America and Build America.
Thank you Tom, and Rich and your officers for arranging meetings for mein Newton, Iowa at Maytag so I could meet and film the workers andengineers to tell the story of the people who built one of theAmerica’s greatest products for a century. The visit was poignant andunforgettable. What happened there and in Galesburg, Illinois nevershould have.
But let me tell you the other half of the story. A few months aftervisiting Iowa, I found myself travelling to Monterrey, Mexico to seekjustice in the murder of a Mexican Farm labor organizer --SantiagoCruz-- who had been trained in my district. Santiago had returned tohis country to inform farm laborers there they did not have to paybounty hunters and coyotes $10,000 to come to this country to work inour fields. They could come as contract workers if no American wantedthe job and they could do so legally and without fear. Santiago hadbeen travelling to fields and work camps explaining to workers thatthey could come as contract workers. Santiago was 28 years of age, andwas beaten to death, while tied to a chair on the second floor the tinyfarm labor office located next to a Catholic Church were workers couldrest safely and get food before their journey to our country.
As we were driving on the main highway to our officials meetings withthe Mexican Attorney General of Nuevo Leon, the state in whichMonterrey is located, our taxi drove by a huge new manufacturingcomplex whose signs read: MAYTAG, WHIRLPOOL, AMANA, and across thestreet, AMWAY. I yelled out: Stop the car! I took photos and reflectedon the meetings I had had with Maytag workers as I witnessed firsthandthis replacement facility.
Our officials meetings have yielded no prosecutions, and no justice ina nation that has no rule of law. Two weeks after my visit down there,I called the Attorney General to inquire about progress in the case. Ilearned he had to step down from his position due to suspected drugtrafficking.
People suffer. Workers suffer. The idea of democracy suffers in acountry like that. When America was founded, slaves were brought hereand treated like property to be disposed of by the owners. Now,machines are moved to where workers have no rights, and Wall Streetpolitely calls its “globalization.”
Booker T. Washington reminded us “there are two ways of exerting one’sstrength: “one is pushing down,” (and how well we know that techniquein the Congress), “the other is pulling up.”” Today, your presence,your achievements, your fight are America’s fighting chance. You arepulling up workers, pulling up the rule of law, pulling up democracy.
Mrs. America would be proud of you
And she would be the first to say America needs you now more than ever.
Thank you.
 |
| Machinists President R. Thomas Buffenbarger and Vice President Richard P. Michalski present Kaptur with the Official Fighting Machinist Eagle award. |
I am honored to be here this morning on behalf of every human being whohas gathered the courage to stand up and say: “My work has worth.” Thevalue of the work I do -- both mind and body—deserves full legalstanding as a “right of contract.” It should not be casual, nor daylabor, nor bonded, nor at will…but by law.
This bold passage to a brave, new consciousness of the worth of human work, sadly, does not belong to all people. But it should.
The struggle for labor rights has been noble. And it has been grizzly.It is global in dimension. It always has been. Just ask the descendantsof slaves. Recently, in Congress, as another Nafta-like trade agreement-- this time for Peru --was being shoved down our throats, the minersof Peru struck from Monday to Wednesday. They did all they could dosend a message to Congress to defeat that agreement. Some in Congressheard their call. A majority did not. Now, there is another Nafta-likeagreement proposed for Columbia that is being held in suspension for avote in Congress. But we don’t know when because of the approachingelections. Yet over 30 labor leaders of Columbia have been assassinatedthis year already.
Labor’s struggle holds hope that there is a way for us to attain thepromised land in this life, not the next. The struggle for laborreminds me of the words from the Broadway Musical Les Miserables; “Willyou join in my parade, will you be strong and stand with me, it is themusic of a people who will not be slaves again.”Once I took a businessman to that show on Broadway and afterwards wehad dinner. He asked me: “What was that story all about?” I don’t getit.” He had no consciousness.
A few weeks ago, an elderly woman in my church came up to me andlamented “Marcy, our country doesn’t belong to us anymore. Go back toWashington, and keep fighting!!”
Her family you see had experienced middle class job outsourcing, andloss of health insurance. She would be uplifted to know we are heretoday to join our voices for her family and America’s working families.
| |
| Kaptur addresses the IAM Legislative Conference. |
Mrs. America understands our nation’s standard of living is at stakewhen the Bush Adm awards a major Dept. of Defense contract to a firmfrom a foreign country that is non union and puts its footprint down ina right to work state. Let me assure you, as a member of the DefenseAppropriations subcommittee of the U.S. House, when that proposal comesbefore us this year, my vote will be Buy America and Build America.
Thank you Tom, and Rich and your officers for arranging meetings for mein Newton, Iowa at Maytag so I could meet and film the workers andengineers to tell the story of the people who built one of theAmerica’s greatest products for a century. The visit was poignant andunforgettable. What happened there and in Galesburg, Illinois nevershould have.
But let me tell you the other half of the story. A few months aftervisiting Iowa, I found myself travelling to Monterrey, Mexico to seekjustice in the murder of a Mexican Farm labor organizer --SantiagoCruz-- who had been trained in my district. Santiago had returned tohis country to inform farm laborers there they did not have to paybounty hunters and coyotes $10,000 to come to this country to work inour fields. They could come as contract workers if no American wantedthe job and they could do so legally and without fear. Santiago hadbeen travelling to fields and work camps explaining to workers thatthey could come as contract workers. Santiago was 28 years of age, andwas beaten to death, while tied to a chair on the second floor the tinyfarm labor office located next to a Catholic Church were workers couldrest safely and get food before their journey to our country.
As we were driving on the main highway to our officials meetings withthe Mexican Attorney General of Nuevo Leon, the state in whichMonterrey is located, our taxi drove by a huge new manufacturingcomplex whose signs read: MAYTAG, WHIRLPOOL, AMANA, and across thestreet, AMWAY. I yelled out: Stop the car! I took photos and reflectedon the meetings I had had with Maytag workers as I witnessed firsthandthis replacement facility.
Our officials meetings have yielded no prosecutions, and no justice ina nation that has no rule of law. Two weeks after my visit down there,I called the Attorney General to inquire about progress in the case. Ilearned he had to step down from his position due to suspected drugtrafficking.
People suffer. Workers suffer. The idea of democracy suffers in acountry like that. When America was founded, slaves were brought hereand treated like property to be disposed of by the owners. Now,machines are moved to where workers have no rights, and Wall Streetpolitely calls its “globalization.”
Booker T. Washington reminded us “there are two ways of exerting one’sstrength: “one is pushing down,” (and how well we know that techniquein the Congress), “the other is pulling up.”” Today, your presence,your achievements, your fight are America’s fighting chance. You arepulling up workers, pulling up the rule of law, pulling up democracy.
Mrs. America would be proud of you
And she would be the first to say America needs you now more than ever.
Thank you.