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Mobilizing the Movement
TNBC Delegates Meet in Charlotte, Focus on Voter Turnout
Three weeks before the Democratic National Convention convened in Charlotte, N.C., the 37th Annual Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC) Education Conference kicked off in the city, giving delegates a jump start on mobilizing for the fall elections.
“This is a pivotal election year because the well-being of working families is at stake and this is a major reason why we are in Charlotte,” said Al Mixon, International Vice President and TNBC Chairman. “We all need to leave Charlotte and get out and educate people about the importance of electing worker-friendly candidates.”
In mid-August, more than 400 delegates attended this year’s TNBC conference a short distance from where President Obama accepted his nomination for re-election. The theme of this year’s conference was “Mobilizing the Movement and Making a Difference.”
The theme was on everyone’s minds given that 2012 is a presidential election year. But delegates also heard about the importance of electing pro-worker candidates in state and local elections.
Spreading the Word
Michael Traylor, a member of Local 396 in Covina, Calif., said delegates have a clear message: Go out and persuade friends, family, co-workers and others about the importance of voting for worker-friendly candidates like President Obama.
“We need to make sure everybody gets out to vote,” said Traylor, a 36-year Teamster and UPS feeder truck driver.
This year’s conference was the eighth Traylor has attended. “The unity is important,” he said. “People come together from all over the United States. The workshops at TNBC are very valuable and it’s just a great place to share ideas and solutions to challenges.”
This year’s mobilization theme re-energized TNBC delegates to help re-elect President Obama and other candidates who support working families, said Harvey Jackson, President of Local 1150 in Stratford, Conn., who is Vice Chairman of the TNBC.
“That’s part of the main reason why we’re here in Charlotte,” Jackson said. “We understand the electoral demographics. North Carolina was a blue state in 2008. It’s important that it remain a blue state.”
But the choice to have the TNBC in North Carolina goes beyond presidential politics.
“North Carolina was also chosen to highlight the important relationships between labor, civil rights and political groups,” Jackson said. “Many of the civil rights sit-ins that took place happened in North Carolina. In addition to mobilizing for the fall elections, we are preparing for next year’s TNBC meeting in Atlanta, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement there.”
After Mixon welcomed delegates on the opening day, Carrie Twigg, national labor outreach director for Obama for America, talked about the importance of voting in this year’s election, especially because many states are trying to pass voter-suppression laws aimed at keeping blacks, Latinos and other minority groups away from the polls.
Later, James Andrews, president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO, warned delegates that corporate interests will stop at nothing to attack workers, labor rights and the rights of people to vote.
“I come by today to sound the alarm,” Andrews said. “We are under attack like never before.”
Throughout the four-day conference, the voter-turnout message continued loudly and clearly, as speakers challenged those in attendance to educate others about worker-friendly candidates
Huge Stakes
“Our livelihood, your family’s livelihood, depends on what happens in November,” said George Miranda, International Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 210 and President of Joint Council 16, both in New York.
W.C. Smith, President of Local 891 and Secretary-Treasurer of Joint Council 87, both in Jackson, Miss., told delegates that he disagrees with pundits who say certain states, like his native Mississippi, “are not in play” in November. Plenty of important state and local races in Mississippi and other states are critical to the interests of working families and must be fought for, he said.
“Don’t just vote, you need to push everyone you can to the polls to vote,” Smith said.
The voting message resonated with delegates, including Jerome Singletary, a member of Local 396 in Southern California, who was attending his first TNBC conference. Singletary is a driver at Republic Services, a solid waste company.
“To me, the message was powerful because it means a lot,” Singletary said. “So much is at stake with the election and the states trying to suppress the vote. This overall message is something I will take back to my local and to my community.”
On the conference’s second day, a sea of red shirts filled the hotel ballroom as TNBC delegates celebrated the fourth annual Women’s Day with inspiring speeches, recognitions and a special luncheon.
“Today was special because we celebrated Women’s Day,” said Barbara Williams, a senior toll collector with the Massachusetts Turnpike and member of Local 127 in Quincy, Mass., who drove 12 hours to get to the TNBC conference. “Females are the backbone. More women should get involved with the Teamsters, especially African-American women. Today was an inspiring day.”
Several people were recognized for their work, including Ferline Buie, who was honored as the first black woman to serve as an At-Large International Vice President. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you,” Buie said. “I love what I do.”
“To me, the entire conference focuses on sharing ideas, building relationships and mobilizing and organizing. This is what being in a union is all about. This is how it thrives and how it continues to help the working class,” said Safeyyah Edwards, a member of Local 507 in Cleveland and a Red Cross employee.