Political Quotes

“I rise today to pay tribute to someone who has been fighting for working men and women his entire career. Just for a moment, let's think back to 1977. The top movie that year was ``Star Wars''--the original one--and the average movie ticket cost $2.23. The Apple II computer went on sale. It cost $1,298, not including the television you needed to use for a monitor. The space shuttle Enterprise took its first test flight, perched on top of a Boeing 747. And a young Marine Corps veteran and salvage welder at J.I. Case first joined UAW Local 806 in Rock Island, IL. He began fighting at that point for workers' rights. A few things have changed since then. ``Star Wars'' and Apple have evolved, and the space shuttle has retired. Yet one thing hasn't changed: Dennis Williams is just as dedicated to the working men and women of the UAW today as he was four decades ago. Over the years, he has served them in a number of ways, including negotiating the first contract at Mitsubishi Motors North America in Bloomington, IL; organizing Indiana State employees; helping Local 844 in Vermont, IL, obtain their first contract; and serving locals throughout the nine States of Region 4. In 2010, he was elected UAW's secretary-treasurer. In 2014, he was elected United Auto Workers' president, a position he has held with distinction since then. It hasn't been an easy time to lead the UAW. The great recession hit the American automobile industry very hard.…”