Thank you, Vice President McEntee.

This is a crucial time for America's labor movement and for all working people. Our success or failure will have a significant impact on all workers regardless if they are members or not. The times call for a strong leader of substance and experience, a leader with drive and a thick skin.

Ten years ago I never thought that I would be standing here today. My union opposed John Sweeney for president of the AFL-CIO in 1995. We worked very hard in opposition to his presidency. But when the election was over and we had lost, I and others in the AFT committed ourselves to supporting the president of the AFL-CIO and the institution of the labor movement. We never dreamed of leaving the Federation.

Over the last decade we have gained great respect and admiration for what this man has accomplished and for his tireless energy and dedication to our cause. This is a fragile coalition. When you bring together workers from such a wide spectrum, it's often hard to forge consensus, to change, to reform. But look at what John Sweeney has done.

In political mobilization, the AFL-CIO launched a ten-point mobilization blueprint in 1996; and as a result, we have been able to multiply grassroots activism many times over.

In 2004, the AFL-CIO fielded 5500 coordinators, distributed 31 million work-site leaflets, and made 25 million phone calls to union households which now account for one out of every four votes in national elections.

In 2004, thanks to John Sweeney and the AFL-CIO, 800,000 workers joined "Working America" and added their voices to those of collective bargaining members in key legislative and political fights.

In organizing the AFL-CIO, under John Sweeney's leadership, has helped between 400,000 and 500,000 workers form unions each and every year through programs like Union Summer launched in 1996; 3,000 young activists have been brought into organizing campaigns.

Other programs such as Law Student Summer, Seminary Summer, have created new allies for our movement. Nearly 500 union men and women have earned degrees from the National Labor College since it was established in 1997.

On John Sweeney's watch, the AFL-CIO, through its Organizing Department, organizing conferences and the Organizing Institute, has trained organizers and developed new strategies and tactics. The Voice at Work campaign instituted by the Sweeney team has shown a light on employer abuses and has encouraged strategic campaigns.

My own union, the American Federation of Teachers, has had a very successful track record organizing members. We have gained 750,000 new members over the past 20 years, more than doubling in size in that time. But we don't claim to have all the answers. We have learned from the AFL-CIO, and from many of you, how to organize better; and we, like so many other unions in this Federation, have benefited from the direct assistance of the AFL-CIO.

John Sweeney has fought for us in the legislatures, governors' offices and in Congress. Remember how we defeated California's Proposition 226 in 1998, otherwise known as paycheck deception?

When all of the pundits said it couldn't be done, it was the AFL-CIO, under John Sweeney's leadership, that made that victory possible and others like it.

In 2003 alone, the AFL-CIO succeeded in defeating 14 of 15 paycheck deception or right-to-work-for-less measures, that's an incredible record.

Today it's John Sweeney who is leading the fight against CAFTA and other bad trade deals. It is John Sweeney who is leading the charge for pension reform, for fair treatment for immigrant workers and other needed protection for America's working families.

Many in this room have been to an AFL-CIO rally or in other ways participated in a fight to keep George Bush from privatizing our social security. This ability to organize our rank and file members at the grass roots level is why we are winning the social security fight.

We're also fighting the good fight for our retirees. Since its founding in 2001, the Alliance For Retired Americans has grown to include more than 3 million members with an activist agenda for Medicare, health care and social security.

One of the reasons we win many of our legislative and bargaining battles is because of our technological innovations that John has brought to our federation.

We have 3 million online activists connected to this federation. Every month 300,000 visit our web site. We are getting our message out, and we are the leaders in a fight for America's workers and their families.

Because of our leadership, John Sweeney's leadership, public attitudes toward unions continue to improve and disapproval ratings are at their lowest level since 1972.

We continue to move forward. At this convention we have taken steps to significantly boost our budget for organizing and politics, to advance organizing through the creation of ICCs, to strengthen the movement at the local and state level by beefing up and creating new funding for our labor councils and state federations, and at all levels we're increasing our diversity.

We have a new spirit coming out of this convention. This federation is in fighting shape. John Sweeney has a plan for our future. He has a record of accomplishment. John is not big on bluster, rhetoric or stealing the spotlight. He is a man of substance.

John has been a tiring fighter for our interests and the rights of workers throughout the world. He's been to our meeting. He's been to our conventions. He's been on our picket lines, attended our rallies and he's attended our protests. He's made the critical phone calls for every union in this room and those that aren't in this room.

John Sweeney has had a career of standing up for working people. Now it's time for us to stand up for John Sweeney.

It is my great honor to nominate for reelection the president of the best federation in the world, the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney.