CAP Conference Day 4 Report
By UAW Region 8 Webmaster John Davis

The final day of the 2006 UAW International CAP Conference began with the pledge of allegiance and invocation. The morning was filled with special speakers. Many of those scheduled to speak on Tuesday were forced to reschedule due to the funeral of Civil Rights Champion Coretta Scott King. Mrs. King had carried on her husbands work for over 35 years since the death of her husband.

The first speaker of the morning was Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean. “It is good to be here with you this morning and I appreciate the UAW working with me of the change of schedule,” Governor Dean stated. “Yesterday we laid to rest a great American and a champion for the rights of working people. This is an important year as we are working to take back the Congress. This country has got to do something to stop this erosion of manufacturing jobs. The Marshall Plan for U.S. Automotive Industry is very important legislation for the future of your industry and one we have to make law.

It wasn’t long ago that the average CEO in this country made 40 times that of the worker on the factory floor. Over the past several years that has ballooned to 500 times the rate of their workers. This redistribution of wealth has got to be stopped.

We preach democracy but go around the world making trade deals that make no provisions for workers to have the right to organize and bargain collectively. These failed trade deals hurt workers here and around the globe.

We will be trying to gain enough seats in either the House or Senate to at least balance the power here is Washington. I’ll make this promise to you, that if we are successful we will return this country to honest and open government. Protecting the manufacturing sector will be a priority and we will stand strong on defense. There needs to be a plan to finish the job in Iraq and return our service men and women home to their families. Our reputation needs to be repaired among our allies and we need a health care system that works for America. Corporations must be held accountable for the commitments they have made to their employees and retirees and they must keep their hands off the employee’s pension plans.

In the State of the Union address last week President Bush spoke of the need to improve math and science education in this country. Then be presented a budget to Congress that cuts $40,000,000 out of Pell Grants for students. We need a strong public school system that prepares our children for the workforce but you can’t provide that with flawed ideas such as Leave No Child Behind act. I am here to tell you that local school systems can manage their schools without interference from the federal government.

We can win this year, but it will mean standing and fighting for what we believe in. I promise you this that the Democratic Party will run in all 50 states as oppose to picking 18 and concentrating there. We will stand up for working people, stand up for their right to join a union and stand up for you. We owe you this, because we know that labor and working people got us here and we must be your voice. These are tough times, particularly in the automotive industry. But I am here to tell you that you have strong leadership with President Gettelfinger and the International Executive Board. Thank you for your support and with your help we can turn the tide in this country and provide working Americans with a voice here in Washington.”

New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez addressed the crowd next and spoke of the importance of passing the Marshall Plan for the Automotive Industry and the Employee Free Choice Act. The next speaker was Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who has a record of 100% voting with the UAW for many years.

The final guest speaker of the morning was Senator Hillary Clinton from New York. Senator Clinton was welcomed with a standing ovation. Click here for highlights from the Senators address.

The conference came to a close with President Gettelfinger wrapping things up. “There has been a lot of information shared over the past three days and I encourage you to take this back to your membership. These are hard times, but we must stand together to get through them. Many years ago Walter Reuther told us the bread box and the ballot box are tied together. We now that about 64% of our membership are registered to vote. This should be 100%. Encourage your members to get involved in the political process and exercise their right to vote. There is too much at stake to watch from the side lines. Thank you and have a safe trip home.”