Thank you, President Schurman, for those kind words and thank you for inviting me to address another historic commencement at the National Labor College — your work here on the George Meany Campus is the pride of our movement.

This is a special day for all of us — our faculty, President Sweeney, President Bahr, President Gage, President Buffenbarger, President Friend, President Rivers, our other Trustees, distinguished guests and honorees – and, of course, the students who have worked so hard to earn the degrees that we’re about to confer.

But I suspect it is a day most treasured by the families of our graduates — when a leading contributor to a working family goes to college, he or she cannot succeed without the other family members making incredible sacrifices and contributing extraordinary support.

Our graduates have worked harder than anybody could ever know, but they would never have made it without their spouses and children and moms and dads and even grandparents backing them up.

So if you are a family member who gave up time with your loved one, took on extra duties at home and gave a lot of extra love and patience to make this day happen – please stand so we can give you a hand.

And give yourselves a hand — you deserve it.

This is also a very special day for our union movement, because today we gain 150 women and men who are now better equipped to help us meet the awesome challenges we’re facing.

We have a lot to celebrate, because the accomplishments of our graduates have never been greater.

The contributions from this year’s senior research projects are remarkable.  Just to mention a few:

John Cornelius found new ways to increase flight attendant Political Action Committee contributions.

Mike Ripoll, a firefighter, developed compelling arguments for adequate personal protection equipment – not bunker gear – to respond to chemical emergencies.

Lou Rioux, a commercial diver and AFT member, demonstrated why a proposed lifting of the requirement for hyper baric chambers around dive sites would risk the lives and health of members of his union.

Chuck Borell from the IBEW mapped out a strategy of better ways for his union to present cases to arbitrators.

Cheryle Brandon, UNITE-HERE, documented her initiation as a new union member and her story of helping organize a union at the Holiday Inn in midtown Manhattan.

Steve Brown from the IAM developed a terrific guide for new business agents.

And IUPAT member Andy Larson’s work is going to prevent the ABC — the anti-union contractors association — from siphoning Job Corps funds away from union painters.

We celebrate John, Mike, Lou, Chuck, Cheryle, Steve, Andy and all of the incredible Class of 2005.

But as we celebrate, we must also pause to contemplate.

There is something big going on in our country, but it isn’t something good.

And just about every member of every working family in America can feel it growing and threatening everything we’ve ever lived and worked hard to achieve.

It’s like a disease made up of equal parts greed, arrogance and perverted values — and it has infected our workplaces, our communities and our government.

Our bosses suddenly think it’s just fine to treat people like chattel — work somebody 80 hours a week and don’t pay them overtime; take away health and pension benefits; ignore health and safety regulations and environmental protections; suck the best years out of people’s lives and then just dump them in the street.

Too many of our community leaders have forgotten how to rise up with indignation when businesses pay people pathetic wages with no benefits and force them to live off taxpayer subsidies; when companies gouge us at the gas pump, the grocery store and at the prescription drug counter; and when employers harass, intimidate and terminate workers for trying to form and join unions.

And all too many of our elected officials make a mockery of our values by giving our tax dollars to the rich and running up huge budget deficits; by increasing the power of human rights abusers like China; and by putting education and health care so far out of reach that working families have to choose between having their children be undereducated or uninsured.

Brothers and sisters of the Class of 2005, from those to whom much has been given, much is expected.

Those who came before you in our movement gave you the chance to earn a college degree, and you made the most of the opportunity.

Now you have a chance to repay them by helping make sure our movement is strong and vital and there for workers and working families who come behind you.

The founders of our unions and the National Labor College believed that if we want to maintain a decent standard of living in our country, we must invest in the knowledge and skill of our workers.

They also knew that in order to win against the forces of greed, we need organization as well as organizing – more members to make us stronger – more education and grass roots mobilization to enable us to use that strength.

As you return home to your local communities, your responsibility is to help us build our power by bringing in more members, and then to help us put that power to work through your local unions, your labor councils and your state AFL-CIO federations.

Changing our world can only be done at the grass roots, and that’s where you will be able to put your new skills and knowledge to work.

And that’s where you can be a leader in making sure we’re all working together to organize and mobilize.

Our strength is in our solidarity and when we stick together, and stand together, and struggle together, and fight together – we succeed together.

That’s the way we build a better future for our movement.

That’s the way we take back control of our workplaces and our communities and our country.

And that’s the way we win for working families.

Congratulations — God bless you and your families and God bless America.