| Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we prepare to take a well-deserved break for Labor Day, we
should also focus on the work that remains for our country. The
wounds of the Great Recession remain unhealed for most Americans.
While about 6% of the workforce – 9.7 million men and women – are
listed as unemployed, an equal number are also in crisis. They have
given up hope for finding a job, are getting by on part-time work or
are settling for significantly down-graded positions. Though Wall Street
and corporate profits have come roaring back, wages for working
people are stagnant, the typical American household has lost nearly
half its wealth since the recession, and unions remain under attack.
Meanwhile America is falling apart. The statistics are shameful for a
nation once the envy of the world: 10,000 lives are lost each year partly
due to the failure of elected leaders to invest in our deteriorating roads,
while one in four bridges in our country is deficient or obsolete. And as
violence and instability abroad threatens our energy independence,
important domestic energy infrastructure projects, such as the Keystone
XL Pipeline, remain stalled by politics.
We can and we must do better.
Soon we will go to the polls to elect a new Congress. The current
Congress has failed LIUNA’s half-million members and the American
people. We will fight for leadership which believes our country can rise
above current challenges by creating jobs through long-term investment
in our critical infrastructure and by respecting the fundamental right of
workers to join together to improve their jobs so they can support families.
On Labor Day, as we celebrate the labor movement and the achievement
of workers thus far, LIUNA will make sure its message moving forward
is heard: America needs more good jobs and more union jobs.
Wishing you and your family a happy Labor Day.
Fraternally yours,
TERRY O’SULLIVAN
General President
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