Remarks of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka at NDLON Assembly

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Remarks of AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka
National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network 6th Annual Convention

Thank you, Pablo [Alvarado], for your kind introduction. And thank you all for the honor of speaking to you today.

I’m proud to stand with you because I don’t know of anyone who is working as hard as you are to force the United States to live up to and fully honor its democratic ideals.

Organizing — coming together — is one of our greatest values.

The pursuit of justice is one of our greatest values.

Uniting for justice in the face of prejudice, under threat of official reprisal, against loud public condemnation, is what makes this nation great.

What the Government Should Be Verifying: Jobs, Training, and Safety

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In America, we desperately need to address the hardships everyday people increasingly face. As Rep. Lamar Smith points out, unemployment rates in the U.S. have reached nearly 10%. Those who do have jobs increasingly face lower wages, longer hours, and less protections at the work site.

To address the challenges U.S. workers and the unemployed are facing, Washington has an unprecedented opportunity to invest in job creation, workplace safety, and training opportunities that would usher those excluded from the workforce into meaningful employment.

To raise the floor for struggling and working families, we need policies that grow our economy, ensure job security, and offer new opportunities. We don’t need more scapegoating.

The Battle of Arizona… In California

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Californians took a turn against the Arizonification of immigration policy and took a step toward standards we expect and the oversight we deserve when the state passed the TRUST Act out of its assembly’s public safety committee this week.

The modest bill meant to improve public safety, foster transparency, and protect civil rights following the botched expansion of the Se Communities program, now makes California a national focal point for the next phase of the battles over Arizona-style immigration policies that would convert police into enforcers of our nation’s broken, and unjust, immigration laws.