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Fellow Democrat,
Thirty-six years ago this week, as I was entering 6th grade, my friend and I spotted the branded truck on a side street in Roslindale. I pedaled my BMX furiously down the hill to the replacement worker who had already started climbing the telephone pole. I began my verbal barrage, of what I will call “picket line poetry”, that I had learned while walking the line with my Dad and his buddies outside of a warehouse just a few days before. We stayed, and he was stuck, until the cops showed up and asked us nicely to let him down. Victory!
Eleven years old, on a bike, with a high-pitched voice, a “colorful” vocabulary, and a chip on my shoulder, I know I did nothing to settle a strike that late Summer day, one that was fought over healthcare benefits and lasted for 17 weeks, but the pride I felt in throwing a figurative “punch” in that fight was pivotal in my own life.
Eleven years later, as I began my own career at the same company, I signed a card with my beloved IBEW and walked down a path that led me to a 20-year career, a blessed life, and an opportunity to serve, as a union steward, labor activist, and now as a State Senator. Opportunities I had, not because of me, but those who came before me. One, fleeting, coming-of-age MOMENT in a larger MOVEMENT based in struggle that continues today.
Right now:
- Teamster waste and recycling workers in Eastern Massachusetts are walking the line 24/7 while their employer refuses to negotiate in good faith.
- UNITE HERE concession workers continue to mobilize and build solidarity for a fair contract at Fenway Park.
- Across the Commonwealth, workers are facing a new threat in the expansion of job-killing technologies backed by billionaires hell-bent on increasing profits at the expense of working people.
The list goes on and on. These workers join an unbroken line of working-class heroes who sacrifice for something far greater than themselves to build the American middle class.
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Longtime President of IBEW Local 2222, Ed Fitzpatrick, is a friend and a mentor who passed away in 2021, known for delivering passionate speeches while perched on the back of pickup trucks and armed with a bullhorn would paraphrase author John Shipp: “In times of crisis,” Fitzy would belt, “you can get bitter….. or you can get better.”
There is no doubt that we face a growing crisis, and it is easy to be bitter. As the threats to working people mount, not only by profit-driven corporations, but poll-driven policy makers, a narcissistic punk in the White House, and the greedy billionaires and weak sycophants that empower him, it is incumbent upon US to RISE UP, to ACT UP, and to SPEAK OUT for those who fought FOR the American Dream only to watch it slip FROM their grasp.
As Democrats in Massachusetts, our history is deeply rooted in giving an unconditional voice to those who sign the back of their paycheck; our future must be too.
I know we are not perfect, but I also believe that because of the people that we celebrate today, our Commonwealth has always been the moral compass for the rest of our Nation when it comes to giving a voice to working people.
On Labor Day, with history’s eyes upon us, for the sake of the next generation, our Commonwealth, and our Nation; We may rightfully FEEL BITTER, but must FIGHT FOR BETTER. It’s who we are as a party, and as a people.
With sincere gratitude to the union members, leaders, activists, organizers, and workers of all sectors and trades. Have a restful, enjoyable, and HAPPY LABOR DAY TODAY, and let’s continue to fight for TOMORROW!
…Oh, and if you get a chance, visit a picket line and bring along a young person.
I promise you, it matters!
With Gratitude & Solidarity,
Paul R. Feeney
MA State Senator
Bristol & Norfolk District
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