(The following remarks by Change to Win Chair Anna Burger were delivered at the Change to Win presidential endorsement announcement on February 21.)
Change to Win, a partnership of seven unions representing 6 million members, is committed to restoring the American Dream for the next generation of workers.
Our members and the 40 million workers in our industries with the jobs and occupations of 21st century American economy — are real people who work hard stocking the shelves, preparing and serving our food, picking the crops, building, cleaning and guarding the skyscrapers of our big cities. They drive our buses and trucks. They care for the sick and elderly and help us raise our children. They are the infrastructure of our society.
For them, this election is about changing America to win a better future for our children.
We want a president who shares our vision and is committed to a practical program to translate that vision into action.
Action that will fix what happens at work. Action that will help working families achieve the American Dream. Action that will:
* Protect the right of workers to have a voice in their workplaces
* Provide health care for every man, woman and child in America
* Fight for fair trade policies to promote job growth
* Create good jobs through rebuilding and expanding our nation’s infrastructure
Most importantly, we want a president who shares our dream and unites Americans in building a movement for change… a movement with the power to turn that dream into reality.
Today, Change to Win is proud to endorse Senator Barack Obama.
He shares our hopes, our dreams and our determination to make a difference. His vision and inspiration has made the democratic process exciting and relevant to young and old and everyone in between. He makes us believe that by acting together we can make a difference.
Barack Obama has restored faith in the democratic process to many who lost faith in a politics that seemed of self-interest and cynicism.
He is building an election coalition that will turn into an action coalition to bring the change this country needs and restore the American Dream for America’s workers.
We believe we can make a difference in helping build this new movement. With six million members, Change to Win unions represent close to half of the union members in the country.
Change to Win was founded in 2005 to give a voice to the tens of millions of workers in the industries of the new economy-workers who are struggling everyday to achieve the American Dream for themselves and their families. For workers, the American Dream is not about great wealth, it is about a good job.
We are the America of tomorrow. We are the union movement of the future.
Our members are active, involved and determined to make a difference.
Our “American Dream Teams” will knock on doors, distribute information, and talk to coworker, family and friends. We’ll make phone calls, send out mailings, and barnstorm worksites to educate and mobilize members to vote for the American Dream candidate – Barack Obama.