National College Players Association - United Steelworkers

jobs, decent wages, and the right to organize and strikewithout fear of scabs taking their jobs. They must standup and fight for universal health care, a national manufacturingstrategy and restoration of America’s global leadershipin manufacturing.“Corporate executives won’t give up living like kingswithout a fight so let’s give them a fight,” Gerard challengedthe delegates, who responded to his speech withthree standing ovations and 20 interruptions for applause.The convention also opened with a moving video thatoutlined labor’s history of advocating for worker rightsand improvements including the right to organize, 40-hour workweeks, paid health care and vacations. It placedblame for the current economic troubles on unscrupulousfinanciers and the politicians that support them, andended with members chanting the convention’s theme,Stand Up, Fight Back!Tragic events recalledGerard walked through the tragic events of the threeyears since the previous convention. Unregulated, recklessgambling on Wall Street crashed the U.S. economy,which rocked the world economy.Unemployment skyrocketed. Wages stagnated. Housingvalues declined dramatically for the first time inhistory and foreclosures threw millions of families on thestreets. Income inequality rose to pre-Great Depressionlevels in both the United States and Canada.“They call it the Great Recession, but that’s toonice a name for what it really is,’’ Gerard said. “Whatthey should really call it is the Great Wall Street Ripoff,because that’s what the bankers on Wall Street and BayStreet, and the mortgage brokers they financed, did toeveryday working people in both of our countries.“Their addiction to runaway profits and bloated bonusesdestroyed millions of our jobs,” he said. “And whatreally galls me is that they turned right around and stuckus with the bill for their thieving ways.”Instead of aiding suffering working people, Gerardsaid right-wing politicians demanded austerity from themiddle class and balanced budgets – without taxing therich or ending corporate tax loopholes and subsidies.Right to bargain attackedCountry-club conservatives attacked the rights of publicsector workers to bargain, fought health care reform,opposed extending unemployment benefits and set sightson destroying social safety nets - Social Security, Medicareand Medicaid.Politicians are not working for working peopleanymore, he said: “They’re working for the corporate billionaireswho lavish their campaigns with cash.”6 USW@Work • Fall 2011