Sen. John Tester (D-MT) delivered this morning’s opening video message, as the fifth day of the 2012 Convention started.  Tester made reference to the Senate leadership’s efforts to pass sustainable postal reform legislation, in the form of S. 1789, urging the House to consider and pass the Senate’s version of the bill.  Unfortunately, as mentioned in yesterday’s update, such action is not likely given that right-wing Republicans control the House.  They have made it clear that they will try to move forward with their own ill-advised postal reform legislation, H.R. 2309, sponsored by Darrell Issa (R-CA).  Senator Tester told the delegates that “your role is critical in keeping America connected.”  But should H.R. 2309 become public law, this role would be exponentially more difficult for Mail Handlers to carry out. 

               Next, Julio Figueroa, President of Local 313, delivered the invocation, focusing again on the critical element of unity that is necessary to stand strong against those seeking to decimate the accomplishments of the labor movement and to deconstruct the Postal Service.

Julio Figueroa, President of Local 313, delivered the invocation.

               The keynote speaker of the day followed.  With a commanding presence on the podium, Terry O’Sullivan, General President of the Laborers International Union of North America, delivered a rhetorical masterpiece, reproaching right-wing Members of Congress and Wall Street “fat-cats” for their vicious attempts at destroying labor rights and imploring all Mail Handlers to stand up and fight for their rights. 

Wall Street sleazebags and right wingers are out to destroy the future of America’s working class.  These hypocrites claim the Constitution as their bible, yet they ignore everything in it they don’t like.  They don’t care if Saturday delivery disappears; they don’t care if people in underserved communities don’t get their paychecks on time; and they sure as hell don’t care about your jobs!  Brothers and Sisters, make no doubt about it, we are in a battle; we are at war!  In this battle, and in every battle, LIUNA has your back.  If it’s a fight they want, it is a war they will get!  This is our moment, this is our time, and this sure as hell is our country, not Wall Street’s!  It is a country of the people, by the people, and for the people.  The pledge of allegiance does not state liberty and justice for some; it states liberty and justice for all!

These powerful and inspiring words evoked thunderous applause and an ear-splitting roar from the delegates. 

Terry O’Sullivan, General President of the Laborers International Union of North America

               President Hegarty then recognized Eastern Region Vice President Sam D’Ambrosio and Southern Region Vice President Bruce Z. Miller for their relentless commitment to the NPMHU as they prepare for pending retirements from the NEB.  As a token of the National Union’s appreciation, President Hegarty presented both with a commemorative NPMHU vase, which they humbly accepted with appreciation. 

President Hegarty recognizes Eastern Region Vice President Sam D’Ambrosio's commitment to the NPMHU.

   President Hegarty also recognizes Southern Region Vice President Bruce Z. Miller's service to the NPMHU.

            D’Ambrosio next guided the delegates through the remainder of the Constitution Committee’s recommendations.  All remaining recommendations were passed by the delegates, including some procedural changes to Article X of the ULUC governing the filing and processing of internal charges.  The delegates then moved to consideration of amendments that were timely proposed but did not receive a positive recommendation from the Committee.  Each of these proposals was rejected, after some colorful debate.

               The spotlight then focused on Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain, as he delivered a speech to the delegates. “We wait for heroes; it’s in our nature,” he said.  He continued:

My Brothers and Sisters, there was a time when it was different.  Everyone who was willing to work hard and play by the rules could enter [the middle class], but that dream is fading.  When you wait and you hope, what you really are is powerless.  Our movement doesn’t have the luxury to sit and wait.  We either take responsibility and move forward together, or we revert back to the labor movement of the 1890s, with no power, no middle class, and no hope.  The heroes are sitting behind you, and they are sitting in front of you.  We need to understand that if we’re united, we can accomplish great things.

Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain

               Next, the delegates turned to legislative and political issues.  To start, the delegates watched a video presentation, courtesy of the Legislative and Political Department of the National Office, which encouraged all Mail Handlers to apply pressure on their elected officials, enroll as e-activists, and contribute to the NPMHU Political Action Committee (PAC).  Bob Losi, the Union’s Political and Legislative Director pointedly told the delegates that “the PAC is by far the most important part of the Political and Legislative Department.”  Contributions to this fund enable the National Union to get its message out to Capitol Hill and the White House, and in the current political climate, this is a crucial component of the Union’s labor agenda.  All members are encouraged to participate in these endeavors to the greatest extent possible, in order to ensure that the NPMHU is able to command an authoritative presence in the legislative arena. 

               The final task of the day centered on the recommended resolutions from the Legislative and Political Committee, chaired by Western Region Vice President Rudy Santos. 

Western Region Vice President Rudy Santos, Chair, Legislative and Political Committee

               Each of the Committee’s eleven recommendations was adopted, culminating in the unanimous adoption of a resolution endorsing the re-election of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.  The delegates broke out in song and dance to show their enthusiasm for the expected endorsement.  Reprinted below is the complete resolution adopted by the delegates:

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama assumed the Presidency during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and has helped steer the American economy from the brink of a second depression to a record of consistent job growth over the past forty months; and

WHEREAS, three and a half years into President Obama’s first term, America is beginning to dig out of the economic hole, including the loss of more than 8 million jobs, that was created by the pro-corporate, right-wing economic agenda of his predecessor administration; and

WHEREAS, President Obama’s efforts to grow the economy have been stymied by the efforts of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and by the Republican minority in the Senate, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), who specifically said in 2009 that his intention was to “beat Obama in 2012” rather than pass meaningful legislation that would help rebuild the economy; and

WHEREAS, the legislative plans of the Obama Administration continue to be blocked by a Congress beset with gridlock and held hostage by ultra-right-wing and “Tea Party” Senators and Representatives who espouse anti-union, antigovernment, and pro-privatization rhetoric; and

WHEREAS, the Republican Party has made reductions in postal and federal benefits one of its top priorities, including increases in employee contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employee Retirement System, and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program; and

WHEREAS, the Republican Party has implemented various voter-suppression schemes as a means of using government power to deny legitimate voters the right to cast ballots in 2012; and

WHEREAS, the Republican candidate for President, former Governor Mitt Romney, has openly stated his hostility toward unions and working families, and has posted anti-union propaganda on his campaign website; and

WHEREAS, President Obama has worked to support many issues important to organized labor; and

WHEREAS, President Obama has worked to support and maintain the American middle class; and

WHEREAS, the NPMHU sides with President Obama on many of the stark differences between the Obama Administration and Governor Romney on tax fairness, support for veterans’ programs and military families, women’s rights, college education, issues of equality, and appointments to the Supreme Court, other federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and elsewhere in the federal government; and,

WHEREAS, President Obama successfully passed and signed into law comprehensive health insurance reform, giving the promise of health security to millions of our fellow citizens; and

WHEREAS, President Obama implemented Wall Street reform, which now is beginning to reverse decades of financial deregulation that put our entire economy at risk; and

WHEREAS, through President Obama’s appointments, the NLRB finally is taking steps to level the playing field for workers who want to organize, and agencies that are charged with protecting the lives and livelihoods of workers, from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, now are led by competent individuals who are aggressively enforcing the law; and

WHEREAS, President Obama has made the revival of the manufacturing sector a hallmark of his jobs agenda, evidenced by the successful federal effort to rescue the domestic auto industry; and

WHEREAS, President Obama has kept his word by bringing home the troops from the war in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, President Obama said he would work tirelessly to find and destroy Al Queda and Osama bin Laden, and has succeeded remarkably well in that mission; and

WHEREAS, President Obama has received the enthusiastic endorsement of the AFL-CIO and the Laborers’ International Union of North America;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Postal Mail Handlers Union will work to register, educate, and mobilize its membership to vote for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on November 6, 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Postal Mail Handlers Union enthusiastically endorses President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for reelection to a second term in office, and will work toward their victory in the November 2012 elections.

The delegates broke out in song and dance to show their enthusiasm for the expected endorsement.

The other resolutions passed will be published in the NPMHU’s next magazine.

The day concluded with Legislative and Political Director Bob Losi, and Senior Legislative Advisor Roger Blacklow jointly presenting their message on the legslative and political landscape now, and into the future. Their message reinforced the need to take this country back from those politicians who would do us harm, and the absolute need to reelect Barack Obama and Joe Biden in November of this year.

Legislative and Political Director Bob Losi and Senior Legislative Advisor Roger Blacklow