Political Quotes

“I thank Congressman Levin so very much, my Great Lakes buddy, for sponsoring this very deserved tribute this evening to Richard Trumka. It truly is an honor to be here today in fellowship with my colleagues and those who are unyielding in their commitment to creating a better world for the hardworking men and women who build our Nation and world forward. No one embodied that devotion more deeply than the man whose life we celebrate here today: Richard Trumka. For nearly 50 years, President Trumka was steadfast in his dedication to advancing the dignity and worth of American and guest workers who clock into work every day to earn a living to provide for themselves and their families and do the work before them. Each bring about their own version of the American Dream. I knew Rich from his earliest days leading the United Mine Workers of America from 1983 to 1995 as its president, and I was blessed to call him a friend. I well recall when the mine workers conducted a national strike against Peabody Coal in 1993 to achieve better wages and working conditions in this dangerous industry. I always respected Rich as an ally in the battles against job- outsourcing trade agreements like NAFTA, which opened up the chutes for corporations to ship jobs overseas, unleashing a devastation of America's middle class and industrial America, the likes of which we had never seen before.…”