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JOHN J. FLYNN President International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers .............................

If President Bush can say that he has a mandate from the American people because he received just over half of the electorate, then we have an even stronger mandate from you to keep up the fight to protect your wages, benefits, and job opportunities.

BAC members voted in record numbers during this presidential election. A member survey conducted immediately after the election found that 82 percent of our members voted – and the majority cast their ballot for John Kerry. Although members cited several issues that motivated them to vote, the ones that had the greatest influence over who they voted for were the economy, jobs, and the war in Iraq.

With the election behind us, the issues that got members to the polls are still weighing heavily on them. In the post-election survey, members expressed concern that the economy and jobs would stagnate, efforts to “bust unions” by passing right-to-work and other anti-worker legislation would escalate, Social Security would be weakened, and the war in Iraq would continue.

It’s now up to all of us to protect what generations of BAC members worked so vigorously to achieve:

• A fair wage for a day’s work and a steady stream of work opportunities;
• Health benefits for ourselves and our loved ones;
• A secure pension so we can retire with dignity at an age that matches the physical strain which our crafts require of us; and
• Safe jobs that allow us to return from work in the same shape as when we left.

To do this, we’ll need all of you to remain vocal about laws and government actions that are not in your interest. Through the “Members & Officers” section of our website and articles in the Journal we’ll keep you informed of the issues and identify ways that you can get involved. At the national level, we’ll keep a close eye on efforts to introduce right-to-work laws, privatize Social Security, and stifle labor’s voice on the job and in the political process. We’ll also continue to push for safer job sites, health care reform, and protections for our retirees. And as a member in Local 16 Ohio reminded us in response to the video Violence Against Unions Past and Present, a growing problem is the use of the legal system against the labor movement, so we’ll be monitoring court actions, as well.

We’ll also take the advice of several members who told us that we need to expand our efforts to get BAC members to talk about the positive role that unions, such as ours, play in keeping our society strong. With your help we’ll get the message out.
And through BAC programs, such as the Job Information Center (see article page 3), we’ll continue to do all we can to keep every member working.

This election is not the end, but a reminder to all of us that the way of life we’ve come to know and expect is worth protecting.

If you have ideas for stories or issues of concern, let us know by emailing us at askbac@bacweb.org or writing to:

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Attention: Communications Department
1776 Eye Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006