In 2007 President Barack Obama won a landslide election. Running on slogans promoting hope and change, he misled the American people into believing that a politician could make a difference. Change rarely occurs in Washington. True change only occurs when the men and women of our great nation stand as "One".
Today within our community the men and women of local 153 stand as One. Together they risk everything in hope of change that we truly can believe in. This change is not borne in our Nations Capital but rather in the Heart of our Nation. The first sentence of the Constitution does not begin with "We The Corporation", it begins with "We the People"!
Each Generation leaves behind a legacy. My parents and grandparents generation fought for a 40 hour work week, child labor laws, benefits, overtime pay, and the right to organize and bargain for the better of all Americans. They created the Middle class and gave rise to the American Dream. Upon the backs of labor our great nation was built.
Today the American dream is under attack. Today, poverty is on the rise. Today the richest one percent of Americans control 99% of the wealth of our nation and yet it is still not enough. Corporate greed will never be sated.
Today as a community we must make a choice. Will we stand as One and say enough. Will we support the Striking Kapstone employees or will the Legacy of this generation be the death of the middle class. Think about that when you choose to board that bus for a job that someone else earned. Think about that as you cross the picket line and turn your back on the men and women who are fighting for us all. In closing I leave you with the words of John F Kennedy:
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