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First allow me to welcome you to Washington; it is nice to have you in this great city regardless of the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in at the present time. Believe me when I say -- despite all of our efforts -- our union is in trouble. Our beloved labor movement is in trouble. And our country is in trouble. And it was all summed up in this editorial cartoon (Show cartoon.) I could end my remarks and that would tell it all.

But you are not going to get off that easy. Last week on the grassy mall that stretches from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial -- Americas front yard if you will -- the NFL hosted a big party with lots of glitz to kick off the football season. A lot of people attended the party. I like football as much as anybody,-- but I think a big party like that in times like these is a little like whistling past the graveyard. But -- I guess there are times when we all need something to make life seem a little better than it is.

That little dramatization that we opened this conference with wasnt meant to amuse. It was meant to portray in stark terms what were up against. My role in zapping the patient with the defibrillator was symbolic. That wasnt about me saving the day; it was about all of us -- united in the best traditions of the IBEW and the trade union movement -- coming together to take back our country -- from the clutches of those who would destroy the trade union movement.

Because make no mistake brothers and sisters -- the America that we all knew loved -- and counted on -- has been hijacked.

In our lifetimes, -- the sense of economic balance and fairness in this country has never been as out of whack as it is now -- not in the Reagan years,-- not in any of the recessions of the post-World War II era,-- not under any administration, Republican or Democrat. You would have to go back to the days of the so-called Gilded Age and the Robber Barons to find a time when the wealthiest and most powerful among us had it so good -- while the rest of us had it so bad. Youve got to hand it to the Bush Administration. In three years, theyve turned the clock back an entire century -- threatening to undo all of the progress that labor fought for in the 20^th century.

Now with that being said -- it defies logic to me that one of our International Unions would prostrate themselves so far as to give a forum and a platform -- on Labor Day -- to this President -- when one of his first acts as President -- was to punch them in the face when he put an Executive Order banning of PLAs on projects and one of the first ones to be affected was the Wilson Bridge locally. That union spent untold thousands of dollars along with the rest of us fighting the issue. A better answer to President Bush and/or his henchmens request would have been an obscene gesture that could be interpreted as his IQ. But his stark revelation that we are losing Manufacturing Jobs, leads me to wonder if the IQ number would be right.

You have been given a lot of information in your kits -- and youll be hearing a lot about all of the issues that are facing working families today. Take it all together, -- and its like a tidal wave threatening to wash away most -- if not all -- of the protections and gains that make up the line between making it and slipping into poverty for many working families. Inviting him to our day was acquiescing to what he is saying that we are not in tune with our membership -- to that I say Bullshit Mr. President.

Lets take a quick look at the Bush report card.

Bush is only president since World War II to preside over a net loss of jobs in this country and what is his answer -- tax Cuts for the wealthy and billions to rebuild Iraq. You would have to go back to the Great Depression to find a time when Americas job creation record was so bad. Unemployment is on the rise, and worse than that -- the long-term prospects for the unemployed to find jobs are grim. Over 900,000 workers have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

The federal budget deficit wiped out under Bill Clinton -- leaving a surplus when he left office -- now in less that 3 years we have a deficit of near $500 Billion dollars -- higher than ever and projected to get worse. The deficit will suck up money -- money that could and should go to new construction and maintenance,-- investment in the infrastructure, like new power plants -- health care, -- education, -- and other more worthy causes, and to coin an often used phrase -- that sucking sound you hear will get louder and as it does the potential for more unemployment gets greater.

The eight-hour day -- one of the cornerstones of social progress in America -- is on the block. The Bush Administration continues to push for the elimination of overtime pay for some eight million workers, many of whom could only marginally be called managerial. But it puts more money into the pockets of the corporate sponges and less in workers paychecks, and that brothers and sisters -- is the bottom line.

The Republicans are seeking changes in Medicare and the implementation of a prescription drug plan under the system that would actually be worse than what we have now. They want the political cover of "doing something." But that something will hit the wallets of senior citizens and discourage employers from providing drug coverage.

Utility deregulation -- which any rational person knows should have been buried long ago -- is, incredibly still alive and still being supported by some fools in Congress who still think they can get it right. Not to anyones surprise, the energy barons -- the friends of Bush and Cheney -- stand to benefit.

One thing that we should always keep in mind and keep reminding our members -- is that this administration has routinely equated unionization with a lack of patriotism and weakened security when it comes to government workers. Just the other day I was apprised that the justice department was inquiring about how many security companies were organized and the Local Unions that have organized them -- this happened just after we won an election with the ADT Alarm Company. We dont know why this inquiry -- but this is an example of what is going to continue to happen to Unions is we do not replace the administration -- nice guys -- the kind that you would want to invite to your Labor Day Picnic. Now these same nice guys took down Vietnam veteran Max Cleland in last years Senate race in Georgia when he dared -- dared to support the right of homeland security department workers to organize. They called him unpatriotic and soft on terrorism -- all this about a man who left three of his limbs on the Vietnam battlefield. Now I am not standing here to criticize anyone for hiding behind their fathers money or influence -- to get into the Air National Guard and then skip out on the duty that they agreed to -- however, I do find myself a little disheartened when those types suggest that a man who lost his limbs on a battle field may be unpatriotic. But that is the mode of operation for these people, and what is more disheartening is that we -- the average Joe voter -- we buy it.

Last week I saw a photo in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of a U.S. battleship that was being removed from active duty in the Persian Gulf and sent back for maintenance. Back to Japan that is. This country cant even do the repairs on its own ships in its own shipyards anymore. Youve got to give the Republicans credit for being consistent, though. Its also been publicized and we had it on our web site that the Republicans had contracted their telephone-based fundraising to a company in India. They obviously prefer foreign labor.

Theres more. The threats to prevailing wage laws. Reduced compensation for asbestos victims. Weakened pension plan security. Undermining occupational safety and health. Giveaways to big media companies. Its all looming over us. If even a fraction of these things become reality, it will be bad for our members and all working people. If most or all of them happen, -- God help us all.

Or maybe I should say that God helps those who help themselves. And brothers and sisters, we have got to fight like the devil to help ourselves in these times because the alternative is annihilation.

It galls me to think that it has taken the American people so long to wake up to reality.

It took a dramatic blackout covering major cities in Canada and the United States for people to finally scratch their heads and realize that something is wrong with our electric utility system. The California meltdown didnt do it. The repeated warning of the IBEW and other farsighted organizations didnt do it.

Yet there are those in the money crowd with no conscience that are still trying to peddle the snake oil of deregulation and some apparently still ready to buy it.

It has taken the worst job creation picture in 55 years for the country to wonder where all the manufacturing jobs went. For years, -- we did everything but shoot red rockets into the air to warn about the erosion of our industrial base and the insanity of our trade policies. Yet on Labor Day -- of all days -- there they were -- politicians and media figures who never met a free trade agreement they didnt like saying that maybe we needed to do something about industrial job losses. Even President Bush is feeling the heat. Rising to full power of his office and finally seeing the light, he got off his duff and promised to do something -- talk to his Chinese buddies about stabilizing their currency so that maybe so that their products wont be so cheap.

Say, George, -- ever hear of labor protections, -- fair trade or human rights? No? Didnt think so. Well I guess it wouldnt occur to you to try some real solutions.

And, most of all, -- I get frustrated with the working men and women, -- including some of our own members,-- who just dont get it. We tried out best to advise them in the election of 2000 -- that electing George W. Bush and his team would be like aiming a guided missile right at our jobs and our economic security. We tried our best to inform them that Al Gore was the real deal -- a smart,-- decent man who cared about fairness for all Americans. But they were worried about their guns or their prejudices or whatever. Well, as they say be careful what you wish for -- you may just get it -- they got what they wanted; I am truly sorry that we could not convince trade union members -- including some of our own -- that they were about to make a mistake that would alter their very standard of living.

I would say that getting working people to think like working people and vote like working people will be our number one priority for 2004. It might not be easy, but -- here again -- we have no choice. The alternative is to lose it all.

Let me say a few words about the war. The IBEW is a big union -- about 850,000 when you add all active and retired members together. Thats a lot of people, and we dont expect everybody to think alike. But it was clear to me that the overwhelming majority of our members are patriotic to the core. Once the troops are dispatched overseas, -- the arguments stop, -- and our reaction is to support the troops and the commander-in-chief. We all understood the horror and the implications of the attacks of September 11, 2001. We lost 21 of our own that day,-- and we knew that the comfortable days of the 1990s were over. We were in a fight.

We cheered when the troops toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan. We knew that Iraq would be a tough haul,-- but had faith in our fighting men and women, including several hundred of our own members. We understand that its all part of the same fight that started with September 11.

That kind of patriotic response -- from us and so many other Americans and friends around the world -- was genuine and heartfelt. But it is also something not be treated carelessly or betrayed. And many Americans are feeling that the Bush Administration deceived us when all they had to do was ask for sacrifice and courage in the face of a dangerous world.

The American military rose to the occasion. The American public rallied behind them. But the American political leadership didnt tell the whole truth about the reasons for the war or its real costs in lives and money. They didnt come clean about the fact that they had no plan in place for when the major fighting stopped. They thumbed their noses at the United Nations, but now they want the UN to come and help us lasso this runaway horse.

Im just going to say that our members and most Americans remain as patriotic as ever and as supportive of the troops as ever. But we dont like it when our leaders dont even trust us enough to tell the truth. We dont like being lied to. And I suspect that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and company have a day of reckoning with the American people coming.

Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I dont exaggerate just to make a point. I dont make things up to get a rise of you. I am dead serious when I say that I fear for the future of the labor movement and the well being of all working families if the Bush crew gets a second term. Just look at the tremendous damage they have done. It will take years to get our country back on the right track.

And the time to start is now. Or as George W. Bush would say: Bring it on.

We intend to bring it on. And we need to do it in as many areas of the country as possible.

We cant wait until next year. If we dont start mobilizing our members and preparing the groundwork for an all-out campaign, we wont be ready when push comes to shove next year.

Im not talking about bombarding our members with political material right away. Im not talking about shilling for a particular candidate at this point. That will come soon enough. The main thing is to make sure that our people are aware of how bad things are -- which I think they know -- and, more important, getting them fired up to do something about it.

Im reaching out to each and every one of you here today to be a part of the IBEWs political team. We will do all we can from the I.O., but there will be no substitute for the grassroots effort on the ground that only our locals can provide. If were going to get our country back on track, now is the time to roll up our sleeves and work together like never before. There just isnt time to put it off until another day. If we dont act, we wont have another day.

Those of you who have been to any of our conferences or progress meetings know that I place a great deal of importance on taking responsibility. Its up to all of us to take responsibility for our political future and motivate our members to do the same. Some wont -- no matter what we do or say. But I know for a fact that most of our people understand whats at stake. My main worry is that they may be too discouraged to think that their single vote would do any good. When one remembers that the presidency of the United States came down to a minuscule number of votes in Florida in 2000, there should be no remaining doubt that every vote counts.

Weve got to restore a sense of balance and fairness to our nation. The Republican stranglehold on the White House and both Houses of Congress has been a bonanza for the corporate interests in this country. Instead of trying to check corporate power, the Bush administration and their allies in Congress have seen it as their job to heap even more power and benefits on the people who so generously fund their campaigns. Lost in the shuffle are the voice -- and the best interests -- of the working class.

Weve got to break that stranglehold. We need to look at the 2004 election as a major organizing campaign and act accordingly.

We are going to start by lobbying our respective members of Congress while were all here in town. In the past, we brought you here and heard a lot of nice speeches and broke of into workshops. Thats all well and good, but weve got to start making the IBEWs presence known even better. So when you go to Capitol Hill later in the week, you will be doing more than talking about specific issues. You will be delivering a silent but powerful message to your elected officials that the IBEW is well -- is active and very much aware. We will see whos on the right side of issues.

And it cant stop here. The next challenge is to go home and organize your members around issues. We are ready to support anyone of any party who supports our members and their economic interests. Weve also got to serve notice to those Democrats who think its good politics to get too cozy with the big money interests. Our support isnt something they can be take for granted. If they think that utility deregulation or free trade is a good thing, let them get their money and foot soldiers somewhere else.

And the real test will come in voter turnout. Some of the smarter Republican strategists have taken a page from our playbook on this one. They understand that its not who has the higher poll approval ratings that matter; its who gets their voters to the polls. I want to see the highest union turnout ever in November 2004, and I want to see the IBEW lead the way in voter registration and participation. Again, Im inviting you asking you to do your part.

Brothers and sisters, I dont like the fact that we have to gather in such dark times in such a gloomy atmosphere and talk about our very survival. But if we tried to sugarcoat it,-- we would only be kidding ourselves and not doing the right thing for our members. We owe it to them and to the proud traditions of the IBEW to face things squarely and do what we have to do. We are no worse off than many past generations of IBEW leaders were. Its up to us to show that we are worthy inheritors of the union that our forbearers left us. It is up to us to fight like hell for the dignity and fairness that working people deserve. Its time to make our country live up to the ideals of liberty and justice that we so rightfully honor in our anthems and slogans.

Ben Franklin once said that we must all hang together or we will surely hang separately. Thats not going to happen. Were going to band together, work together and fight together like never before to make sure that future generations of IBEW members have a union worthy of the proud IBEW tradition. Thats what were here to do and thats what we will do,

Thank you and God bless you all.

International President Edwin D. Hill speaking at the 2003 Political & Legislative Conference.