Convention 2002: Getting America Back on Track
From Gerald W. McEntee, President
Summer 2000, when we last met in Convention, was a different world. We focused on organizing; getting Al Gore elected; continuing the Clinton/Gore legacy of protecting workers’ rights; safeguarding the environment; and improving schools.
Basking in our nation’s greatest economic boom, we had no clue that two years later we’d face a recession with 8 million people out of work. We had a $281-billion federal surplus in January 2001; a year later, we were staring at a $106 billion deficit,while our states were facing a combined shortfall of $50 billion.
That’s not all. The Social Security "lockbox" has been broken into. Senior citizens have had to continue to choose between buying medicine or food. We have undergone the brutal attacks of September.
As we head into our 35th International Convention — June 24-28 in Las Vegas — that is the state of America.
AFSCME means action
Some people believe in fate. AFSCME believes in action. Some people believe in not rocking the boat. AFSCME believes not only in rocking the boat but in making waves with it — lots and lots of waves.
At the upcoming Convention, we will forge an agenda that addresses how to lower skyrocketing health care costs — costs that are mainly due to over-priced prescription drugs that particularly victimize retirees and seniors. It will include strategies for: winning more federal Medicaid matching money and homeland security funds for states; making job safety and pay equity a high priority; and freezing tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans and big corporations.
When we all gather in Las Vegas, we will once again come together to make organizing and growing our union a top priority, so that we are the loudest voice for working men and women that our nation has ever heard!
Finishing what we started
Two years ago in Philadelphia, we concentrated on organizing and political action. Two years ago, we endorsed Al Gore’s agenda, which included workers’ rights, Medicare, education, universal health care, prescription drug coverage for seniors and saving the environment. We embraced his pro-working family record.
George W. Bush had different — and wrongheaded — priorities that included privatizing, free trade, HMOs, unchecked pollution and supporting corporate high rollers. As I predicted in my speech opening the 2000 Convention, Bush and his friends "would cut taxes for the rich … give tax breaks to corporations." Unfortu-nately, I was right.
We also must deal with the horrendous conditions of state and local finances. Forty state and local governments are trying to balance budgets while delivering vital public services. We must be vigilant so those legislators don’t balance these budgets on our members’ backs.
All those issues from our last Convention will still be on our plate when we open this one — and with the recession and state/county/city budget crises, the list has grown in very important ways. Therefore, Sisters and Brothers, we must be prepared to energize the Green Machine and shift into high gear.
Rx: Mutual support
That’s especially vital because 2002 is an election year. With every seat up, we have to make the House a House for working men and women. With 34 seats up, we need a larger majority in the Senate to represent working families. With 36 gubernatorial races, we need to elect 36 pro-worker governors. As always, the litmus test in all of these races is: "Do you support us? If so, we’ll support you."
We must never give up our fight for workers’ rights. When we depart Las Vegas, we must go with the power of our convictions and the interests of our sisters and brothers foremost in our hearts and minds. Each and every delegate and alternate must take the message home that we are the "you" in the word union, the "you" that must get America back on track.
