Minority Leader Lucia Guzman’s speech at the Colorado AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention
Hello. It is exciting for me to be here with you all.
Whenever I can be in a room of Union Members and Labor Leaders, I feel most at home. My Dad was a union member — he worked on the railroad for nearly 40 years before retirement. Before he worked for the Missouri, Kansas Texas (MKT) Railroad Company, he and my mother worked in the fields of various farms in Southern Texas. They picked cotton mostly.
That was back in the day — before environmental regulations were put in place to protect workers from DDT and other toxic chemicals. The days were long, hot, and hard with little pay. I remember joining them in the field with my own small-sized bag over my shoulder, and experiencing for myself how hard they worked.
Let me tell you a little more about my Dad. He wanted more in life. Born in Mexico, he became a permanent resident alien and secured a job with the Missouri, Kansas Texas (MKT) Railroad Company as a section laborer. By joining the union, he got better pay, retirement and health care options. While he had to continue working after retirement, the $400 per month retirement and the small social security checks provided him with some stability. My Dad continued working part-time at a gas station in our hometown. One night however — he was robbed at gunpoint and murdered. On the day of his funeral, the Railroad sent the train through town to blow its whistle in honor of my Dad.
Because my Dad had played by the rules, worked hard at a job with benefits, and joined the Union — my mother received his retirement benefits and my youngest brother and sister received his Social Security benefits. It is because he was a Union member that even after his death, my family was still taken care of through his benefits. That is the power of the progress Unions have fought for in Colorado and across the United States.
The Democratic leaders of years before had the good moral and business sense to establish Social Security — and it was the Democratic Party that led the Labor Movement. It is because as Democrats, we understand that Laborers and Unions are not just a part of the middle class — they are the middle class.
In 1945, more than one-third of all American workers were Union Workers. Our grandparents respected Unions, even if they did not join them. Today just fewer than 12% are Union members.
Giving a voice to the working folks was key to having an economy that could maximize profit without minimizing people. By forcing employers to bargain fairly with a portion of the working class, our grandparents helped to build up wages and ensure better treatment for all workers.
“The middle class is largely the outcome of the pay raises and benefits that the labor movement fought for so valiantly in the 20th Century. And Unions are the backbone for a secure middle class in the United States and all around the world.”
Labor Unions are perhaps the Democratic Party’s strongest pillar. Labor Unions were key to the Obama victory in 2008. Labor Unions were the backbone of the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011.
Today, Unions are under a furious assault by the forces that back the one percent. Those one-percenters want to defund, de-legitimize and destroy the heavyweight champion of working families. As Senate Minority Leader, I understand that it is the responsibility of our Caucus to prevent the rollback of the progress we have made here in Colorado, to protect Labor and the middle class.
Some of the bills Democrats supported that were unfortunately blocked by Republicans include:
- Allowing employees leave time to attend their child’s academic activities (HB15–1221, defeated)
- Allowing local governments to set a minimum wage within their jurisdiction (HB15–1300, defeated)
- Colorado constitutional minimum wage (SB15–003, defeated)
On the flipside, these were some of the anti-labor bills Republicans pushed that we opposed this past session:
- Making it difficult for individuals to obtain unemployment insurance (SB15–269)
- Pulling the regulation of telecom out of the purview of the Office of Consumer Council which has saved rate payers countless amounts of money (SB15–271)
- Redefine all Union Agreements as unfair labor practices and classify a violation as a misdemeanor subject to civil and criminal penalties (HB15–1172)
- Repealing the Civil Rights Act for businesses that employ less than 15 employees (HB15–1172)
- Repealing the Job Protection Civil Rights Enforcement Act (SB15–069)
As the daughter of a Union member, I fully understand the positive impact Unions can have on the families of Laborers, and how important the protections and rights Unions have fought for are to our communities. We look forward to continuing the strong relationship we have with you to ensure we continue building a Colorado that supports the middle class, supports Unions, and supports building an economy that works for everyone.
Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful rest of your day.
