Transportation Trades Department Convention
JULY 20, 2000

Brothers and sisters in transportation labor, officers and fellow members of TTD's executive committee, friends and guests: I am pleased to stand before you as we begin a critically important gathering of transportation unions.

Let me first thank Host Committee Vice Chair Al Whitehead, President of the Fire Fighters, for his support. Al, an early and active supporter of TTD, had every intention of being here. But just a few days ago, he had to tend to urgent personal business in California, and he sends his regrets.

Let me also thank the other Committee members: TTD Vice Presidents George Becker, Pat Friend, Ed McElroy, Bob McFeeters and Robert Scardelletti.

Today marks an important occasion, for me personally and for the Teamsters.

In many ways, TTD is a product of the Teamsters rejoining the House of Labor.

We represented the final piece of a puzzle that, for more than three decades, eluded transportation unions: the quest to create a national organization dedicated to advancing the interests of America's transportation workers-in every sector, across every mode and in communities across this great country.

Visionaries before us-some of them are here today-saw the wisdom of unifying transportation workers with a common purpose.

They understood then what we know today: the need for a bold and aggressive response from transportation unions to: the onslaught of deregulation, globalization, liberalization and privatization; the destructive tactics of corporate bosses like Frank Lorenzo, Fred Smith and Leo Suggs; the ravages of policies like NAFTA that ship jobs to Mexico and erode highway safety; and the mindless appetite for corporate mergers that sap the life out of communities and slash thousands of jobs.

We needed a place where we could debate our problems, confront our conflicts and always move forward with a common agenda and a common purpose.

Transportation unions answered that important call by creating TTD. And those of us here today can see the fruits of our labor.

Teamsters have always been active players in TTD. Transportation is who we are at the Teamsters. It was our beginning, and it is our future.

Walter Shea is with us this morning. A giant in my union as the former executive assistant to 4 Teamsters presidents, including my father. A giant in the American labor movement with his hard work to foster unity and cooperation between unions. A giant within transportation labor for his pursuit of TTD's formation, and his commitment to make it a permanent presence in the labor movement.

Walter, I know you must be proud that this organization-a product of your hard work and the dedication of founding President Dick Kilroy-has made it through its first decade and stands today stronger, better organized and poised to ensure transportation workers have a strong national voice in transportation policy.

This is very important. We all carry out our work in a town where average working men and women struggle to have their voices heard-thanks to a political system where powerful multinational corporate special interests fill the coffers of our political parties and corrupt the American political system.

Yes, these are not the best of times in Washington. Too much unregulated corporate money. Too many corporate lobbyists buying influence and peddling anti-worker legislation, regulations and trade policy. Too few ordinary working people with roots to the labor movement serving in the Congress.

That is why transportation labor was forced to spend much of the last decade fending off one attack after another on basic worker rights and labor standards:

• the right to organize;
• the right of unions to defend their members;
• the right to speak out in politics; and
• the right to a safe workplace.

The list goes on and on, and our opponents have not relented. We, of course, did better than hold our own against difficult odds-and that story will be told this morning and throughout this convention.

We also watched politicians from both parties support trade deals like NAFTA, where copyrights are more important than human rights -working men, women and children who toil with no rights, low wages, unsafe job sites and environmental hazards.

Few issues better define the state of politics today than the House vote granting permanent normal trade relations status to China. The pundits enjoyed this epic battle. They even did their part to bring focus to the political battle in Washington.

But they ignored the American labor movement's principled stand on behalf of the American people-a stand against China's repressive policies that trample on human rights and worker rights.

The Teamsters are proud to stand up for those values. We are proud to stand with all of you who proved to the politicians, the think tanks and the ivory tower academics that achieving worker-friendly trade policies matters to all workers and all unions in every segment of our economy.

For the next two days, we have a perfect forum to debate our future as transportation unions

• to reverse the corrosive effects of the Gingrich era on our society and our political system;
• to improve worker protections;
• to address safety challenges; and
• and to make Washington respond to workers' needs.

We have a duty to build on the hard work of those that went before us to ensure that transportation workers have a unified presence in Washington.

TTD is poised to fight those who try to reverse decades of progress we've achieved on behalf of the nation's transportation workers.

And now, brothers and sisters, let's get to work and launch the next decade of service of TTD.