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Terry O'Sullivan and Alex At LABOR Press High Speed Rail 9-5-24 · OneLegUpAlex Media

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  Speaker 1: With me at the Labor Press High Speed Rail conference.
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  Speaker 1: Is a very special guest. You know, when you have
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  Speaker 1: about four or five six people talking about well Man,
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  Speaker 1: that means this guy is a legend. Terry O. Sullivan,
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  Speaker 1: thanks for joining AM nine s having the answer today.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you, thank you, and very thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: We're very proud to have you on a Salem media
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  Speaker 1: group as well. So, first of all, talk about your
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  Speaker 1: history with labor and being honored today.
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  Speaker 3: Well, my history was more or less born into it.
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  Speaker 3: So my father was with the labors and ran our
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  Speaker 3: local in San Francisco and he ultimately became the general
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  Speaker 3: secretary treasurer in Washington, d C. So I've been a
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  Speaker 3: member for just over fifty years. I was general president
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  Speaker 3: for twenty four So I have obviously a long history
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  Speaker 3: with LAYUNA and with the labor movement.
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  Speaker 1: And talk about the labor movement, I mean, this is
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  Speaker 1: we just passed Labor Days, so you know, I feel
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  Speaker 1: like the conversation with labor sometimes in the media with labor,
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  Speaker 1: but we were continuing it here. So talk about what
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  Speaker 1: the labor movements meant for you.
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  Speaker 3: Well, the labor movement has meant everything for not only me,
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  Speaker 3: but for our family adventure, I wouldn't know exactly where
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  Speaker 3: we would be if it wasn't for the Labour's International
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  Speaker 3: Union North America. My father his parents both were from Ireland.
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  Speaker 3: His father died when he was thirty seven years old.
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  Speaker 3: His mother was pregnant with his brother, so his brother
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  Speaker 3: never even met his father. He was a grave digger
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  Speaker 3: at Holy Cross Cemetery where he is buried in a
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  Speaker 3: doorman at the Palace Hotel, pretty famous hotel in San Francisco,
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  Speaker 3: And from there, my dad's mother knew somebody in the
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  Speaker 3: laborers and they put him out to work because they
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  Speaker 3: knew he was bringing every paycheck home to take care
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  Speaker 3: of his mom and his seventy his brother. So, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: if it wasn't for Liana, it wasn't for the labor movement,
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  Speaker 3: we wouldn't be where.
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  Speaker 2: We're at today.
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  Speaker 1: Terry, you've obviously seen the labor women evolve, so talk
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  Speaker 1: about seeing it as a kid with your dad to now.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think that there are some differences. Yes, back
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  Speaker 3: then we had more strikes. There was there was, I
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  Speaker 3: won't say more activism, but their sure sec was a
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  Speaker 3: lot of activism, and I think that was what's evolved
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  Speaker 3: in my twenty four years of being president. At thirty
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  Speaker 3: years I was in d C. Unfortunately I still can't
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  Speaker 3: get out of there. But the longest sort of become
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  Speaker 3: even more politically active. They were always politically active. Organized
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  Speaker 3: labor always was. But I've seen more activism in my
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  Speaker 3: time in d C than I saw before.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I was just thinking last year was a
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  Speaker 1: big year for labor disputes and all that. But when
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  Speaker 1: you see those kinds of things and you see the
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  Speaker 1: fight that sag After had and all that, what's that mean?
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  Speaker 1: It must make it kind of proud that these guys
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  Speaker 1: are fighting.
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  Speaker 2: For their rights.
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  Speaker 3: They are, and I get encouraged by those things. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: take the Teamsters and ups and some of the other
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  Speaker 3: things you mentioned, sag After, uh, you know, the Big Three,
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  Speaker 3: the auto workers. I mean, there is a there's a
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  Speaker 3: real spark in the labor movement, and I think that
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  Speaker 3: spark leads to a fire, and I see a lot
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  Speaker 3: more engagement, involvement and activism, which is always a good thing.
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  Speaker 1: So this high speed rail feels like the next generation
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  Speaker 1: for union workers, right, That's why it's so important.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, And I applaud Neil you know, for having
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  Speaker 3: this conference this morning. It's much needed and just not.
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  Speaker 2: Here in a whole host of places.
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  Speaker 3: So I think to get the ball rolling this was
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  Speaker 3: an important thing to do, and having experts from you know,
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  Speaker 3: not only political life, but from the industry.
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  Speaker 2: From everywhere. Yeah, from everywhere.
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  Speaker 1: So Terry, obviously you've been on the West coast, right,
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  Speaker 1: you said you were to sever just go. They already
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  Speaker 1: have this, so why not. Why can't it work here?
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  Speaker 2: That's my question.
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  Speaker 3: Well, he can work. It has to be a political
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  Speaker 3: will to make it work. And I think that political
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  Speaker 3: will is here, and I think by partnering together labor
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  Speaker 3: management and industry, maybe we can get it over get
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  Speaker 3: it over the top.
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  Speaker 1: Being sort of with your dad through this whole movement,
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  Speaker 1: when he was, when you were, when he was here,
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  Speaker 1: what did you learn from him and how have you
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  Speaker 1: applied that as president?
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  Speaker 3: I learned about loyalty from my father, about solidarity, and
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  Speaker 3: I learned it by watching him. He was a hands
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  Speaker 3: on leader. They said, he was a member of ours
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  Speaker 3: and a leader of ours for sixty nine years. So
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  Speaker 3: he lived by example. He's one that back in the
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  Speaker 3: fifties we went on strike for eight six days get
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  Speaker 3: three cents for health and welfare fund. So they were
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  Speaker 3: rough and tumble times, but he was a man of
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  Speaker 3: his word. And and to tell you that the other
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  Speaker 3: labor leaders that I had the privilege to know when
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  Speaker 3: I was a young man, sometimes and in some cases
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  Speaker 3: very young man, sure, I was always inspired by their
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  Speaker 3: dedication and commitment to the cause, the purpose and the
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  Speaker 3: mission of the union movement.
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  Speaker 1: It's maybe a controversy. Did you ever cross paths with
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  Speaker 1: Jimmy Hoffe? I have to ask, I have.
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  Speaker 2: So, Uh, my father knew Senior.
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  Speaker 3: I obviously worked with Jimmy and now with Sean when
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  Speaker 3: when Jimmy was president for for years.
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  Speaker 2: I haven't seen him in a while.
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  Speaker 1: But I know, and Sean's been been doing great. But
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  Speaker 1: at the l i U, right where you're at, where
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  Speaker 1: you're president at, there's a daily support of your union workers.
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  Speaker 1: Talk about the daily operations of the LU from where
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  Speaker 1: you sit.
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  Speaker 3: As president, I mean as far as the activity, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: and how you support every day to make sure well.
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  Speaker 3: And I think what's different now is with technology, it's
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  Speaker 3: a lot easier for us. So I have to be
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  Speaker 3: able to reach out to union members and union families
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  Speaker 3: and you see that. I mean that I know my
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  Speaker 3: wife Vette, she oversees communications department at while you're in
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  Speaker 3: the headquarters in our Political and Legislative department, and the
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  Speaker 3: engagement is second. If I go back twenty four years
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  Speaker 3: and I look at what we were doing twenty four
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  Speaker 3: years ago versus today, it's light years ahead today.
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  Speaker 1: Well, it's funny you say that because a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people that are in their associations are worried that AI
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  Speaker 1: is going to take over. And why is manpower so
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  Speaker 1: vital even in twenty twenty four.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, we can't build our roads and bridges and
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  Speaker 3: tunnels and waterways and all the rest of it without
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  Speaker 3: haveing skilled labor. I mean, I think you always have
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  Speaker 3: to be concerned about at AI. I'm less concerned about it,
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  Speaker 3: but there are industries and unionized industries that I get it.
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  Speaker 1: Terry, it is. We're honoring you today, but I feel
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  Speaker 1: like your work's not done yet. So you know you're
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  Speaker 1: gonna honor today.
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  Speaker 2: But tell us where you go from here.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I'm involved in a number of things. So I
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  Speaker 3: am now the chairman back as chairman of YULIKA. With
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  Speaker 3: the untimely passing, unfortunate passing of Eddie Smith, I'm emeritus
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  Speaker 3: with with Liuna and we launched a union prescription drug company.
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  Speaker 1: And that's so important as so you're saying those members
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  Speaker 1: who need that are not getting represented.
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  Speaker 3: Enough for well, we can't have PBMs, gouge and us.
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  Speaker 3: I mean every nickel, every dime, every dollar is important.
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  Speaker 2: Because I always used to say if.
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  Speaker 3: It wasn't going towards benefits, would be going on members check.
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  Speaker 3: But we stand for great benefits. But we have to
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  Speaker 3: get our hands around. When you have two percent of
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  Speaker 3: your claims right our costs and almost fifty percent of
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  Speaker 3: your spend, something's broken needs to be fixed.
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  Speaker 2: I feel that this.
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  Speaker 1: Kind of ears into my next question about people disabilities.
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  Speaker 1: Do you guys represent people disabilities as well born with
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  Speaker 1: them on the job of them talk about that sector of.
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  Speaker 2: The union, I mean critically important.
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  Speaker 3: We have a lot of members get hurt on a job,
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  Speaker 3: some of them some of them unfortunately permanently, and we
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  Speaker 3: try to make sure that if somebody is injured on
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  Speaker 3: a job that we can get them back to work
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  Speaker 3: within Sometimes you can't, but I think it's critically important
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  Speaker 3: as a society and as a labor movement to take
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  Speaker 3: you know, to work with like minded groups and find opportunities,
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  Speaker 3: because there are plenty of opportunities for individuals that do
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  Speaker 3: have disabilities to go back to work.
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  Speaker 1: I've asked a few other people. I want to ask you, Terry,
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  Speaker 1: from from your experience here, there are skeptics against the unions.
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  Speaker 1: How do you ease skeptics minds and say yes, unions.
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  Speaker 2: Are good for people.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, there's always going to be skeptics, as there
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  Speaker 3: always has been. But I'm betting on the home team.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, I think that with our communication programs and
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  Speaker 3: outreach to members, I think we've turned the tide. And
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  Speaker 3: I can only use our union as an example. You know,
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  Speaker 3: we are founded in nineteen oh three. Today we have
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  Speaker 3: more members than we've ever had gradual history of our organization.
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  Speaker 3: And a lot of that, quite honestly has to do
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  Speaker 3: with the Biden administration, the Infrastructure Bill, Chips Bill. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: it has been an absolute grand slam, and you know
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  Speaker 3: I'm going to say it because I'm going to say
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  Speaker 3: it anymore. Joe Biden's been the best union president we
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  Speaker 3: ever had, at least in my tenure. And I don't
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  Speaker 3: mean any disrespect to anybody else.
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  Speaker 1: Well, he also grew up in the union world that
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  Speaker 1: he did.
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  Speaker 3: He did, he says, He says union more than some
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  Speaker 3: union leaders. But a lot of the credit goes to,
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  Speaker 3: you know, with the first two years of his administration,
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  Speaker 3: with Speaker Pelosi and with the Majority Leader Schumer and
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  Speaker 3: the President and his administration. Think about the jobs bills
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  Speaker 3: that were created. Never saw that before. I saw a
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  Speaker 3: lot of effort on it, but you know the results.
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  Speaker 3: And how about pension reform, sure, sure, I mean that
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  Speaker 3: was a game changer for all of us.
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  Speaker 1: The Build Back Better Bill also as well. I mean
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  Speaker 1: a lot of these different things that they've accomplished. Now,
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  Speaker 1: how are you going to reach across all the unions
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  Speaker 1: to make sure this real project goes It's a team effort, isn't.
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  Speaker 3: It, without a doubt, you know, on the construction side,
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  Speaker 3: work with the building trades and and and with the
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  Speaker 3: individual union as well, and put a lot of time
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  Speaker 3: and effort, you know, and the job creation things have
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  Speaker 3: been teed up.
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  Speaker 2: Now we have to take advantage of.
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  Speaker 1: He says something very poignant just a couple of minutes
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  Speaker 1: ago about how what you're doing today is touching the
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  Speaker 1: lives of families in their own homes and that's important
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  Speaker 1: to get the message into the homes, isn't it. And
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  Speaker 1: it sounds like that has been happening for a little bit.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think it has been happening for a while,
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  Speaker 3: and I mean that's strategic communications. I mean, we need
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  Speaker 3: to get to family members. Wife needs to be engaged
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  Speaker 3: and involved. And unfortunately some unions, and ours being one
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  Speaker 3: of them, not as many members go to union meetings anymore.
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  Speaker 3: Now they're busy working and all the rest of it.
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  Speaker 3: They have family obligations. But we need to continue to
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  Speaker 3: do an even better job of reaching inside the house
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  Speaker 3: and reminding people, you know, how they're making a living
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  Speaker 3: and why they're making a living and what the union
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  Speaker 3: does for them.
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  Speaker 1: Terry, you're obviously going to speak today, So what's your
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  Speaker 1: message to the audience here at teams As Local two
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  Speaker 1: eighty two and to our listeners here on the radio.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, today, my message just is one of thanks and appreciation.
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  Speaker 3: You know, I'm going to talk about some of the
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  Speaker 3: things that we're doing, but I'm also gonna invoke I
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  Speaker 3: have my dad's union card in my pocket from nineteen
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  Speaker 3: forty seven and to my point, before the O'Sullivans would
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  Speaker 3: not be where they're at today if it wasn't for
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  Speaker 3: the goodness and greatness of the Labor's International Union in
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  Speaker 3: North America and the labor movement, and we're not unique
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  Speaker 3: in that.
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  Speaker 1: Do you feel like that should be a message as well,
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  Speaker 1: that unions helped build character for the people in them.
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  Speaker 2: Yep. I think it has to be a constant message.
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  Speaker 3: You know, some people do take for granted that you know,
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  Speaker 3: you wake up one day and you're you know, you
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  Speaker 3: think you're standing on third. There was a lot of
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  Speaker 3: strife and struggle that went in to building a labor
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  Speaker 3: movement that we have today.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Right, he's going to saying on third, we see all
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  Speaker 1: these leagues sometimes have their issues between the players, realization
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  Speaker 1: and all that those big issues can also impact other unions.
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  Speaker 2: Say, hey, you know what, we didn't speak up as well, right, yep?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I see that more though, Like I say,
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  Speaker 3: these big difference twenty four.
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  Speaker 2: Years ago to today.
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  Speaker 3: And I think that outreach has led to more activists
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  Speaker 3: and we're always going to have skeptics.
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  Speaker 1: Will we see you out there fighting for the union,
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  Speaker 1: like if there ever picket lines where we see you
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  Speaker 1: out there on the lines.
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  Speaker 3: Or what I'll be anywhere and everywhere that I needed.
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  Speaker 2: That's for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Amen to that, well, Terry, thank you so much time today,
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for having me, thank you, thank you,