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BREWER, Maine – Candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, Jared Golden, delivered the following remarks at a press conference on May 9, 2018.
Jared Golden: I am so proud to stand here and accept the endorsement of the Maine AFL-CIO.
Union values based on hard work, fairness, and leaving no man, woman or child behind, represent what I believe we need to rebuild America.
In the Marines, we had a simple rule at meal time: the lowest ranking Marine eats first, and the highest ranking Marine eats last. And that sometimes means that leaders have less on their plate. This is a symbolic lesson for young men and women meant to teach about the importance of real leadership.
Leadership is about taking care of the people you lead first, and yourself last.
Unions stick together when they negotiate to seek better wages and benefits for everyone, and they don’t cut deals that leave some members behind. This is how unions help lift up all workers together.
This campaign is focused on the issues that matter to the people of Maine: better pay and a fair economy for everyone; healthcare for all; a secure retirement; and strengthening the hand of everyday people so they can fight back against a world that increasingly steps on the backs of hardworking men and women.
We seek a return to a basic promise that has been broken in America.
The promise that we are all in this together. The promise that if you work hard for your employer, you are then treated with dignity and respect. That if you work hard, you get a fair share of the profits that come from your labor.
That if you get hurt on the job, the job takes care of you and your family. That if you work hard, you can someday retire in simple comfort.
What I’m talking about is a return to the days when we all believed that we were in this together as one country. Workers and their bosses. Government and people building a two way street on which everyone pitches in to the best of their ability, and takes care of one another out of an understanding that a rising tide lifts all boats.
That used to be the American dream. And the labor movement, of which I am part, seeks to get that dream back for all workers: for steelworkers and machinists, for teachers and firefighters, for nurses and lobstermen, and for the workers of the future.
This, we believe, is the central challenge of our time. Can we as a society – as a country – return to the promise that all Americans have the opportunity to work hard and get ahead; work hard and achieve their hopes and dreams for a better, stronger, and more just America?
I’m excited to stand and fight with the Maine AFL-CIO, and all its members, for a better future for Maine’s working families.
