On Tuesday afternoon of convention, delegates heard remarks from several international guests, representatives of close UE allies in Mexico, Japan, Quebec, Canada, and Italy.
Eladio Abundiz Guadian, National Coordinator of the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo, an independent union federation in Mexico, said, “It is an honor for me to be at the convention of an independent, progressive union with a democratic structure, where major decisions are made from the bottom up,and which represents more than 40,000 members.”
He added, “I am delighted to see that the UE is renewing itself; there are many of you sisters and brothers who will one day be here on the stage” (e.g., will lead the union).
Abundiz noted similarities between the organizing practices of both unions, with a shared emphasis on education, one-on-one conversations with workers, union democracy, and solidarity campaigns with allies. He ended his remarks by recalling for delegates that “The first meeting between the UE and the FAT took place in 1992, and together we’ve fought against greedy employers who disregard workers’ labor rights. Thanks to this alliance, we’ve achieved significant milestones. [ … ] I know there’s still a long way to go, but we’re on the right track.”
“We believe in the power of rank-and-file workers”
Manabu Natori, a member of the executive committee of the militant Japanese labor federation Zenroren, told the convention, “We believe in the power of our rank-and-file workers, and organize from the bottom up in every aspect of our struggles, campaigns, and organization.” He reported that they had won a six percent increase in the minimum wage, the highest increase in Japanese history, and that over the past two years many of Zenroren’s affiliate unions have also won the highest wage increases they had seen in the last twenty years. “These victories could be won,” he said, “because more and more union locals have decided to use the most powerful workers’ weapon,” the strike.
Natori noted that “far-right, authoritarian and populist forces like Donald Trump are rising not only in the U.S. but around the world,” and reported that during elections held in Japan the day before, right-wing candidates “were using their campaign speeches to incite xenophobia, discrimination and prejudice against foreign workers.” In contrast, he said, Zenroren opposes all forms of discrimination and continues to organize workers “to speak up against xenophobia, discrimination and hate speech.”
He also warned that “We are once again facing the danger of the use of nuclear weapons,” which he called a “serious, serious danger,” and spoke about UE and Zenroren’s common commitment to a “peaceful, just world.” He ended by saying that “We as workers see our common goals and aspirations. Zenroren is proud of our longstanding friendship with UE.”
“We are in a very difficult time”
Three other allies sent video greetings. Michele De Palma, the general secretary of the Italian metalworkers’ union FIOM-CGIL, reported that “We are in a very difficult time. We need to fight now so that we can safeguard our manufacturing plants and prevent layoffs. [ … ] At the same time we are striking to be able to renew the national contract of metalworkers.” Italian metalworkers had recently held a 40-hour strike to defend wages, job security, and workplace safety in their national contract, because “while companies are making extraordinary profits … they want to pay the workers little or very little.”
De Palma ended his remarks by saying that “International solidarity is essential, because only when we are together” can workers effectively fight for a better world. “Forward together, we can do it!”
Caroline Senneville, president of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) in Quebec explained that she could not attend in person “because the present administration doesn’t make it easy for non-Americans to visit your beautiful country.” However, she said, “we wanted to extend our solidarity to you” in the “dark hours” that Americans are facing under the Trump administration.
Echoing the convention theme of “One Voice, One Fight, One Future,” Senneville said, “We want to unite our voice, our fights, so that we can share one future, because we know that both our countries, and both our unions have a long history of solidarity. So let's fight and hope for the best.”
Lana Payne, the national president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, said, “We know in times like these it is often workers who pay. That is why our work as trade unionists is so incredibly important. As you know, our union and our members have been on the frontlines of this trade war launched against our country by the president of the United States. And with each passing day, we see how this trade war is hurting workers in my country and in yours.”
She noted that, “It is no coincidence that it is also union workplaces and highly unionized industries that are caught in the middle of this economic war: manufacturing, auto, steel and forestry.” But, she said, “We know there is a better path forward, a path built on the principles of fair trade, a path that lifts workers up,” and concluded, “Let's continue building the labor movement that all North American workers deserve and need.”
“Fighting the same fight every single day”
Following the remarks from international guests, delegates discussed the resolution “International Solidarity.” John Miles, Local 506, spoke about his recent trip to Japan to represent UE at the International Trade Union Forum for Peaceful and Just World without Nuclear Weapons and the World Conference Against A&H (Atomic & Hydrogen) Bombs.
The conference marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Miles reported that he “learned a lot” from the people he met, including the Hibakusha, the survivors of the bombings.
“When you really think about what happened on that day in Hiroshima, 200,000 people lost their lives in an instant because there was a bomb dropped,” Miles said. “And God forbid we ever do that again. Because I would never want to see what happens to this world if it does.” He emphasized, “Everybody has to understand that wars are not fought by the individuals who live in the countries, they’re fought by the governments.”
While at the trade union forum he got to speak with unions from not only Japan, but also Korea, France, Portugal and Spain. “All these unions throughout the world that I got to meet with are fighting the same fight we are every single day,” he said.
Scott Slawson, Local 506, recounted how “Back in 2015, [at the UE convention] in Baltimore, we had a conversation in a hallway that started with, if companies are going to be global then unions need to be global,” and how that conversation led to the formation of an international alliance of GE workers’ unions. Now that the Erie plant has been sold to Wabtec, he urged the development of a similar alliance for Wabtec workers.
Katrina Davis, Local 300, reported on her participation in the 2024 UE-FAT exchange in Mexico, saying it was “a great experience.” Max Pagano, Local 1466, said that “the commitment to a world without nuclear weapons has certain special resonance for the locals from New Mexico because they were developed there.”
Video of remarks by Abundiz, Natori, De Palma, Senneville and Payne is available on the UE YouTube channel.