Obama: Collective Bargaining is the Right of Every American Worker

A dozen CWA members were in the crowd behind President Obama in Detroit on Labor Day as he delivered a strong pro-union speech.

Below: CWA members and their families got into the spirit at the Detroit event. Pictured are the son and grandson of Greg Wynn, president of Local 4100 and a CWA Executive Board member.

Detroit-area CWA members cheered along with thousands of their union brothers and sisters Monday as an impassioned President Obama gave a strong pro-labor, pro-worker address.

The rousing Labor Day speech in General Motors' parking lot celebrated collective bargaining and the unions that made good, family-wage jobs with benefits and retirement security a reality — for union and non-union workers.

"If you want to know who helped lay these cornerstones of an American middle class you just have to look for the union label," Obama said, vowing that he will continue to fight attacks on workers' rights.

"When I hear some of these folks trying to take collective bargaining rights away, trying to pass so-called "right to work" laws for private sector workers that really mean the right to work for less and less and less — when I hear some of this talk I know this is not about economics. This is about politics," Obama said. "And I want everybody here to know, as long as I'm in the White House, I'm going to stand up for collective bargaining."

The crowd, including a dozen CWA members on stage behind the president, chanted, "Four more years!"

Obama told them, "Having a voice on the job and a chance to organize and a chance to negotiate for a fair day's pay after a hard day's work, that is the right of every man and woman in America — not just the CEO in the corner office, but also the janitor who cleans that office after the CEO goes home."

CWA Local 4100 President Greg Wynn, also a member of the CWA Executive Board, said members were "energized and fired up" by the speech. "He's someone they believe truly, genuinely cares about workers, and that's a real good feeling. With the governor we have, we needed to know that we have help, and we want President Obama to know that he can count on our help, too," Wynn said.

In addition to Wynn, CWAers on stage included Belinda Hill, Yvette Austin, Tonia Jenkins, Raina Jones, Carnethia Goldsby and Jacqueline McQueen all of Local 4100; Aarick McCloud, Local 4004; Janet Kandt-Harris, Local 4008; Dave Skotarczyk, Jerry Sokoloski and Troy Smith, Local 4050; Sue Mure, Local 4123; and Alicia Dennis, a steward for the Utility Workers and wife of CWA Local 4100 Secretary/Treasurer James Dennis.

A full transcript and video of Obama's speech is posted on the White House website.