Greetings from the Burgh, where I decided to stay to cover DNC, instead of paying $751 for a credential for DNC.
Big thanks to everyone who donated to help us cover Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s swing through Western Pennsylvania this week.
Payday’s Nightly DNC Dispatch Plan
Our long story on the Western PA trip will be tomorrow. (Check out on our first nightly DNC dispatch on how Teamsters President Sean O’Brein was snubbed by Kamala Harris on Getting invited).
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Black Teamsters Retiree Speaks As Harris Axes Teamster Prez at DNC
In July, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. (Check out “This American Life,” produced with Melk as an editorial consultant on the wild incident)
O’Brien also wanted to speak at the Democratic National Convention. However, Harris and Biden Administration officials nixed him. Many members of the Democratic Party and organized labor felt that O’Brien had crossed a clear line by campaigning against Biden with Trump at the RNC.
Instead of inviting O’Brien, who desperately lobbied for the spot, the Harris-Walz team invited 25 retired rank-and-file Teamsters to appear on stage.
Speaking for them was Kenneth Stribling, a proud Black Teamsters retiree from Local 200, who had worked for 30 years as a local truck driver in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 2015, he received notice that his pension was slated to be cut in half beginning in 2025, but then the Biden Administration got involved and stopped it. At the same time, he received news that his wife Beverly had pancreatic cancer.
As the humbled Black teamster’s, retiree from Milwaukee calmed down, chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A,” he recalled the anxiety he and his wife felt after receiving the news.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do, so I went to a retirees meeting in the basement of a small church. At that moment, I knew that we were not going down without a fight,” recalled Stribling.
“Beverly made me promise to never quit until we made this right so we organized a nationwide grassroots movement”, said Stribling, who has since become president of the National United Committee to Preserve Pensions.
For over six years, the Obama and Trump administrations had struggled to pass pension reform to save union pensions.
Finally, Stribling says, in the first 50 days of the Biden Administration, they passed the American Recovery Act (ARA). The ARA included the Butch Lewis Act, which helped bail out struggling pension funds to protect union retirees.
“They got it done without one single Republican vote in Congress. They saved over one million pensions,’ says Steibling. He then recalled that his wife died in 2019.
“I cried,” Stribling later recalled to local Milwaukee TV station CBS 58. “I cried, looked up at the sky, and thanked [Beverly] for encouraging me to get involved and stay involved.”
(For more background on the fight, check out CBS 58 in Milwaukee)
Union leaders widely praised his remarks on Twitter, who had called out Teamsters President Sean O’Brien for praising Trump at the RNC after Biden struggled in the debate.
“This is all union members need to know about who has your back and who doesn’t,” said Painters Union President Jimmy WIlliams in a statement.
Go to CSPAN to watch Stribling’s entire remarks at the RNC.
Record Number of Rank-and-File Teachers as Delegates
Continuing the theme of rank-and-file union members playing a vital role in the convention, the AFT union celebrated a record number of teachers attending as a delegate.
No labor official was more pleased with the selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Harris’ Vice President. Walz had been a member of the union for 24 years.
Behind the scenes, the Jewish president of the powerhouse, 1.5 million, lobbied for Walz to be selected over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Upon hearing the news, Weingarten tweeted a video of herself describing how excited her membership was now.
“I just got off the plane,” said Weingarten. “My phone has been going crazy cuz we just get news that Tim Walz is Kamala Harris’ choice for Vice President. We are so excited, he’s a teacher, he’s a union member. We have known him for years.”
Watch the viral video here of Weingarten reacting joyfully to Walz selection news.
The AFT said that the record number of teachers attending the DNC indicated enthusiasm within the union for the ticket.
“I’m so proud of the 120 AFT members who are delegates. We held a reception with them tonight to discuss the week,” tweeted Weingarten on Monday. “These members have a voice in this process and we’re all in for @KamalaHarris and @Tim_Walz.”
Help us Travel Rank-and-File Fighting in Battleground.
Instead of attending the big conventions and fancy events packed with reporters, we plan to cover the rank-and-file fighting it out in the battleground states. We will focus primarily on Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Minnesota battleground states.
If you want us to visit you or can donate frequent flier miles, let us know at melk@paydayreport.com
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Fain Talks Displease with His Stellantis Deal at High-Profile Presser Conference
Finally, in a press conference with a select group of reporters at the DNC, UAW President Shawn Fain discussed his displeasure with the Stellantis decision to not fully reopen a plant.
Recently, Fain has been facing criticism for cutting a weak, quick deal at Stellantis. The deal’s weakness led Fain to demote the UAW Vice President of Stellantis, Rich Boyer. In return, Boyer has fought back that Fain knew about the agreement with Stellantis,
In remarks captured by veteran labor reporter Harold Meyerson, Fain defended the deal he cut and blamed the automaker. From the American Prospect:
Fain also discussed the UAW’s displeasure with Stellantis, with which the union signed a contract last fall. The contract contained a commitment by the company to reopen a currently shuttered plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Despite its contractual commitment, Stellantis now says it won’t reopen the plant, as agreed to, in 2027, nor reopen supplier plants, some scheduled to be reopened next year, until the main plant is brought back.
By pushing the main reopening to 2028, Fain said, the current contract, with its commitments, will have expired by the time Stellantis now says the reopening will happen—effectively voiding its current contractual pledge. Fain noted that the union could strike the company in roughly a month’s time if Stellantis doesn’t recommit to the contract it signed. He also noted that the UAW had dropped some other demands last fall when the company agreed to reopen Belvidere, and should the union strike, those demands could be back on the table.
For more, check out the American Prospect.
Alright folks, that’s for all today. Keep sending tips and story ideas to melk@paydayreport.com
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Melk
