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August 5, 2015 - The membership of the Pennsylvania Federation Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters this morning presented a resolution in support of state Senator Ray Lesniak (D-20) for governor in 2017.
“We firmly believe that Ray Lesniak is the strongest candidate running for Governor of New Jersey articulating our issues,” said a resolution affirmed by Thomas Wohanka, vice chairman of the union’s district 1 office, who represents rail workers. “His commitment to union principles and labor values is longstanding and heartfelt.”
The resolution passed with unanimous support.
Lesniak spoke at the event.
“I’m certainly pleased that they endorsed me for governor, I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s an encouraging sign that they did,” said the senator, who last week announced his plans to run for governor and not senator again in 2017, a story PolitickerNJ had FIRST.
Reprinted below is the full text of the senator’s remarks at the labor gathering…
“Thank you to Tom Wohanka for inviting me to speak to you guys this morning) Because organized labor is under attack in America.
“The percent of American workers belonging to a labor union fell last year to an all-time low, to just 11.1 percent of non management workers. It’s dropped 9 percentage points from its high of 20.1 percent in 1983. Likewise over the same period of time income inequality, or the gap between the rich and everyone else, has been growing and growing, by every major statistical measure. If we don’t do something soon, there will be two Americas, the rich and the poor, with only a small middle class in between. A strong middle class is the foundation of a strong democracy and is secured by labor laws that give workers the right to collectively organize and bargain.
“25 states now have Right to Work Laws which weaken labor unions’ ability to organize and bargain on behalf of workers.
“My dad was a son of Polish immigrants. He had to quit school after the eighth grade. He worked as a manual laborer in Elizabeth before getting a job at a chemical company, GAF, in Linden. He never had good benefits, nor earned anywhere near his value, because his workplace did not have a strong union at the time. Workplace safety was an afterthought, if at all. GAF’s owner, Sam Hayman, of course, was a billionaire.
“My dad was the hardest worker anyone could imagine, yet were it not for the G.I. Bill, I would not have been able to graduate Rutgers University and St. John’s Law School, even while I was working full and part time jobs. That’s a tough road to hoe. A strong union would have made that road easier for my dad and me.
“You guys work hard. Your job is not easy. And without a strong union, you wouldn’t get the pay and benefits you deserve for your hard work.
“Here in New Jersey. Governor Christie has made life more difficult for public employees by not fully funding their pensions. As he promised. And when the governor pulled out of the Arc Tunnel, thousands of jobs were lost and commuters lives were made more difficult.
“New Jersey needs better leadership. Leadership that will secure workers pensions. Leadership that will protect labor’s collective bargaining rights. And leadership that will put you guys to work building that tunnel to New York.”
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Resolution Thirty Two
Ray Lesniak for Governor of New Jersey
Whereas, State Senator Ray Lesniak has been an unflinchingly supporter of the labor movement in general, fighting arduously for many years to defeat legislation like the TPP, NAFTA, while supporting our issues such as card check union organizing, health care for all and workers rights in general; and
Whereas, the membership of the Pennsylvania Federation Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are committed to building a broad, effective movement for democratic change within and without the labor movement; and
Whereas, our goal is a government that carries out the will of the people, not prop up the profits of the 1°/o at the expense of the rest of us; and
Whereas, we firmly believe that State Senator Ray Lesniak is the strongest candidate running for the Governor of New Jersey articulating our issues. His commitment to union principles and labor's values is longstanding and heartfelt, and
Whereas, as a truly progressive candidate for the Democratic Party nomination, Ray has the chance to inspire the citizens of New Jersey with policy proposals that put the interests of the labor movement, front and center. His campaign will draw attention to what unions and collective bargaining have accomplished for workers and energize our movement; and
Whereas, Labor must step up to fundamentally change the direction of American politics, by refocusing on the issues of our time: growing inequality and pervasive racism, the power of concentrated wealth and its corruption of our democracy, an escalating pension and retirement security crisis, runaway trade agreements that pit our workers against those in desperate impoverished countries, lowering our wages and standards of living, Medicare for All, and the need for new, bold solutions to our shared problems; therefore
Be It Resolved, that this Twenty Second Regular Quadrennial Convention of the Pennsylvania Federation Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters hereby endorse New Jersey State Senator Ray Lesniak to be the next Governor of New Jersey, and we call on the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the National Division officers and our fellow System Federations and our affiliated organizations and all union members and working people everywhere to unite behind Ray Lesniak and elect the Governor that New Jersey so desperately needs; and
Be it further resolved, that we support State Senator Ray Lesniak and his campaign to become the nominee of the Democratic Party for Governor of New Jersey; and
Be It Further Resolved, that this resolution be communicated to General President Hoffa, Division President Simpson and the General Chairpersons of the various System Federations under the jurisdiction of the BMWED.
Unanimously Adopted August 5, 2015
at the 22nd Regular Penn Fed Convention
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Download Resolution 32 for printing
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