Democratic platform backs right to organize

BOSTON — The Democratic Party has put itself solidly and strongly behind the right to organize, which gratified the 800 or more union delegates to its National Convention in Boston.

Oregon unions were well-represented at the Democratic National Convention held the last week in July. Among the members who served as delegates or alternates in Boston were Mary Botkin, Dominga Lopez, Linda Johnson, Jason Leon, Tina Turner-Morfit and Genie Uebelacker of Council 75 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Judy Sugnet, Rosalie Pedroza, John Cuff and Barney Gorter of the Service Employees International Union; Bing Wong of the American Federation of Teachers; Barbara Rose and Gail Rasmussen of the Oregon Education Association; Oregon Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner, a member of Electrical Workers Local 48; State Representative Diane Rosenbaum of Communications Workers of America Local 7901; and Judi Mehrens, wife of Wally Mehrens, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council.

The unequivocal platform language also tracks statements by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presidential nominee, and his running mate, Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.).

But the right to organize wasn’t the sole item on the unionists’ agenda. At forums throughout the convention they discussed a wide range of pro-worker issues, including health care, industrial policy and fair trade.

Good jobs and affordable health care led the first forum: A labor delegates’ caucus, hosted by the AFL-CIO’s three top leaders, on July 25. Two of them — AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson — are Democratic National Com- mittee members and automatic delegates. Sweeney, Chavez-Thompson, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger and Teamsters President James P. Hoffa all addressed the convention.

Before Kerry took the stage July 29, Sweeney told the 5,000 delegates this election is a choice “between a president who ships our best jobs overseas and turns his back on the men and women who built the strongest democracy and most competitive economy in the history of the world, or a president who will fight for America’s jobs.”

Sweeney introduced three workers who “represent millions of Americans whose dreams have been put on hold for the past four years.” Among them was Stephen White of Silver Spring, Md., fired from his job at Comcast after actively trying to form a union. Earlier in the day, White told reporters Kerry “supports the Employee Free Choice Act. You bet he’d help us tremendously.”

Oregon delegate Rosenbaum, who in July was elected president of the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators, was invited to speak at the AFL-CIO forum.

“I focused my remarks on local politics and the importance of union members running for local elected office,” Rosenbaum told the Northwest Labor Press. “I talked about my first campaign and how John Sweeney came to Portland and walked my precinct.”

The Democratic Party platform was written by a panel chaired by pro-labor Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and it strongly supported labor rights. “We will ensure that the right to organize a union exists in the real world, not just on paper, because that’s how we create more jobs that can support families,” it declared.

“That means reforming our labor laws to protect the rights of workers, including public employees, to bargain contracts and organize on a level playing field without interference. It also means barring the permanent replacement of legal strikers.

“We will reverse this Administration’s cuts in wages for working people by restoring overtime protections for hard-working Americans. We will strengthen health and safety protections as well,” it adds in a section entitled “Standing Up For Workers.”

In line with Kerry’s promises, the 41-page platform pledges he will sign no trade treaties without enforceable worker rights.

The platform’s “creating good jobs” section says President George W. Bush “values wealth over hard work, lavishes special treatment upon a fortunate few at the expense of most business and working people, and defends policies that weaken America’s competitive position and destroy American jobs.”

“The Administration uses globalization as an excuse not to fight for American jobs,” it adds.

The platform pledges Kerry and Edwards to ending tax breaks for U.S. firms that create jobs overseas, “while offering tax cuts for companies that produce goods and keep jobs here at home.”

And it supports “a concerted effort to revitalize American manufacturing,” as pushed by the AFL-CIO Industrial Unions Council. Most of that would come through the tax breaks, the platform says. Some would come through cuts in health care costs.

Platform writers included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, an industrial policy advocate.

On another key issue, the platform pledges the two senators will “include enforceable, internationally recognized labor and environmental standards in trade agreements.” It also puts those standards on an equal footing with “commercial concerns.”

“We will aggressively enforce our trade agreements with a real plan that includes a complete review of all existing agreements, immediate investigation into China’s workers’ rights abuses, (and) increased funding for efforts to protect workers’ rights and stop child labor abuse,” it says.

Like Kerry, the platform blasts President Bush for going it alone, for “exaggerating the case” for war, and for lack of protection for U.S. troops.

But it does not demand a prompt pullout. Instead, it favors gradual withdrawal as other nations “contribute troops” to peacekeeping there.

© Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc.