SEUI President Andy Stern was the third union president to address the convention this morning. Wearing the union’s trademark purple colours, he roused the audience with a fiery speech about the centrality of organizing new workers.
Stern was the first of the speakers to quote Karl Marx — maybe the only time we will hear this today. Talking about the need to take on global corporations, he proposed taking the slogan of “workers of the world, unite” and turning it into a reality.
Stern’s accounts of how peoples lives have been changed by being union members — illustrated by bringing members to the attention of the audience — were genuinely touching.
At one point Stern asked all the rank and file trade unionists in the room to come to their feet. Most of these seemed to be SEIU members. He made it clear that the new federation is for them, for the rank and file workers.