Remarks by AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka, Wisconsin Solidarity Rally in Trenton, New Jersey
February 25, 2011

Thank you, Arlyn [Halvorson] and Susan [Blaustein], for your courage for igniting the spark that has inspired the nation, and for touching off the rallies that have given so much hope to so many working people across America. 

I'm honored to pledge the unflinching support of the 12 million members of the AFL-CIO to your cause. Because your cause is our cause.  

What happens in Wisconsin affects every man, woman and child in America – because nothing less than the fate of our middle class is at stake! 

Isn't that right, New Jersey? 

The fundamental right to have a voice and bargain for a middle class life --- That's what this is all about. 

Good jobs! That's what this is all about. 

Standing together! That's how we'll do it. 

United! That's how we'll win. 

That's how we'll end the scapegoating of our public employees, who didn't cause our economic crisis, but nonetheless stand willing to help solve it. 

Here's the key, something that every governor and state legislator from New Jersey to Arizona, from Florida to Alaska, needs to understand: They were not elected to dictate. They were not elected to serve only the CEOs who bankrolled their campaigns. They were elected to create JOBS. They were elected to solve problems, not create conflict.  They were elected to work together for the people -- not against us. If they have a problem with public employees' contracts, then they should do the responsible thing: Sit down and negotiate! 

In state after state, public employees are waiting. There's not a teacher who isn't also a taxpayer. There's not a police officer who wants her city to fail. There's not a firefighter who wouldn't run into a burning building to save a life, and that same firefighter will help find reasonable answers to budget questions. 

But you can't take away our freedom! And you can't take away our dignity as public employees!

What is with your governor, anyway? What makes him claim that middle class working people are the have's, and you're somehow robbing from the taxpayers? 

Public employees didn't cause New Jersey's budget problems. Public employees didn't cause New Jersey's pension problems. We held up our end of the deal.  We made our contributions.  But for 15 years -- 15 years -- New Jersey has either provided reduced contributions to the state pension fund -- or nothing at all! That's negligence! And making you suffer is not going to fix it. 

Slamming teachers and our public schools with private school vouchers, with merit pay, eliminating tenure, and just generally throwing every attack imaginable at teachers and other public employees—it's not going to solve anything. 

What have we learned from Wisconsin? That it's not all about the money! In Wisconsin, Gov. Walker ginned up the budget crisis with tax breaks and giveaways, and then he used it to come after pay and benefits that should be addressed at the bargaining table. 

It's not all about money. It's about power. It's about weakening workers and our unions to get us out of the way of CEO profits, and bonuses. 

Gov. Christie and Gov. Walker are playing the same old political game, the same as too many politicians in Washington, D.C., who fight first and hardest for tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, so they can turn around and holler about the deficit as an excuse to take a knife to Social Security and Medicare, and so much of what working families across America rely on. 

It's been happening for 30 years. 

Tax cuts create deficits, that create the urgency, to cut, cut, cut. 

And now, Gov. Christie and Gov. Walker, and too many others think they can get away with trashing good, middle-class jobs because other people have been getting away with abusing us for years! Giving obscene tax cuts to the rich, rewarding CEOs for outsourcing good American jobs, deregulating Wall Street so it could collapse on us while making the Big Bankers even richer, saying 'Yes' to lobbyist-written free trade deals, and saying 'No, No way!' to working families. 

They've taken a lot from us—but they cannot take our freedom! 

In New Jersey—in all of America—we still believe in the American dream, our vision of an America, where a lifetime of hard work has its rewards—fair and decent pay, time with our families and a measure of comfort in a secure retirement. The freedom to form unions together, and bargain together for a better life. 

That's not too much. That's a dream we can all aspire to. 

That freedom built America's middle class, and America's middle class is what makes America great! 

Instead of attacking our basic rights, I'd like to see our leaders create good jobs for a change. 

Instead of tramping on collective bargaining, create jobs! We need good jobs here in New Jersey. We need good jobs all across America. 

If the centerpiece of Gov. Christie's argument is—why should public employees have a little security, fair pay and pensions, while private employees suffer. Then our answer must be to lift up all working people. 

The answer isn't to knock down public employees. Instead of attacking the retirement security of public employees, let's achieve retirement security for all workers! 

All work has value. We win when we fight for all working people, when the fruits of our victories are shared by everyone who holds down a job for a living. That's the beauty of the labor movement. 

So now we're seeing an unprecedented wave of solidarity. 

Working people are energized. 

We're building new and stronger community alliances. 

And together, we're going to win a fair state budget, to end the tax breaks for millionaires, to renew the earned income tax credit for New Jersey's working poor, to renew property tax rebates for working families, to renew funding for critical needs like women's health care, and education and public safety. 

So shake things up. Let them know that an attack against teachers, or firefighters, or nurses, is an attack against all working families in New Jersey. Let them know that we will not be divided.  

That's the way forward. I know you're ready. Let's get there together. Roll up your sleeves! New Jersey needs to stop the scapegoating and start investing in a fair and decent future.

We can build on this moment. We can keep our freedoms. We can make New Jersey and the rest of the country the kind of place we're proud for our children to grow up in. 

This is our mission. We've got to work for it. We've got to stand together. 

Work for it.  Stand for it.  March together.  Fight together. Win together. And don't let anyone—anyone—stand in our way.

Thank you.  God bless you, and God bless America!