This has been quite a year. Change and hope have finally come to us
after years of an Administration in Washington that has been overtly
anti-labor, and we now look forward to the Barack Obama years with
renewed enthusiasm for working families across the country. The
White House will again welcome a young family, and with it, the energy
and excitement we hope to recapture after eight long years of conflict
and cronyism.
Success in Senate and Congressional races will bring us closer to our goals
as well. Pro-labor legislation is critical, and enactment of the Employee Free
Choice Act should be high on the priority list of the 111th Congress. The
Employee Free Choice Act is supported by a bipartisan coalition in the Senate
and House and would enable working people to bargain for better wages,
benefits and working conditions by restoring workers’ freedom to choose for
themselves whether to join a union. After years of a labor-unfriendly NLRB, it’s
time for Congress to stand up for our vanishing middle class and help working
families across this country. It was one of Barack Obama’s campaign promises
and we’re looking forward to it becoming one of his successes as president.
We must also join in the fight against right to work legislation and support
minimum wage increases. We have seen the corporate rich get richer on the
backs of working families across this country and there is no better time to
take action in support of our brothers and sisters.
We also know these are challenging economic times, and that the road
ahead of us will be bumpy. There must be protections offered us when basic
survival is at stake – the importance of keeping our homes and jobs secure.
Historically in down times, audiences have sought entertainment as a way to
boost morale and take a breather from the difficulties of everyday life. However,
our industry has faced its own obstacles this year. All of our members, in
every division have worked diligently to keep the industry up and running
during times of great challenge. It is time for us to work together, all of us in
every union, to ensure that we are able to continue to provide employment for
our members, and provide the public with the films, television programs, stage
shows, and exhibitions that will give them the entertainment that we all seek
and need.
As the year 2008 comes to an end we have a great deal for which to be
grateful. We are witnessing history in the making every day, and a profound
transformation in the way we look at government and at our neighbors.
I wish you and your families good health, happiness, and productive work
for the holiday season. May 2009 be the best year yet.
