When Temporary Chairman Gary Housch presented "our leader, our president, and our brother," Mac A. Fleming, to give the State of the Union address, delegates quickly rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation.

President Fleming began his address by thanking "each and every one of you for your contribution in making our union unquestionably the best of all the rail unions in the United States and Canada.

"The uniqueness of our organization is that the leadership takes it direction, in the most democratic way we possibly can, from the membership. ... Within the context of sacred principles of union solidarity with limited resources, with input and direction from our membership, we fight to make life better for our families and for ourselves. ...

Before continuing, Fleming asked the representatives, Godfrey Brown, George Collie and Mark Ferris, of the newly organized Florida East Coast Railroad brothers to stand. The delegates gave them a hearty round of applause as they welcomed them and their fellow new members into the BMWE.

President Fleming continued, "Four years ago when I stood before the assembled delegates to our last convention in Detroit, the Brotherhood stood at a crossroad in our century-plus period of existence.

"We in the United States had endured 15 years of beatings from the railroads at the bargaining table, culminating in the imposed agreement derived from the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 219, otherwise known as PEB 219.

"The PEB 219 agreement was imposed on us by a Congress controlled by our supposed friends, the Democratic Party. The recommendations brought horrendous working conditions to many of our members. Over the term of PEB 219, BMWE members suffered a nine percent decline in real wages, a lessening of health benefits, and a substantial deterioration in working conditions.

"We lost ground big time -- while the railroads' profits, productivity and levels of compensation soared. ...

"PEB 219 was a tremendous step backwards for our union and, as a result, caused the leadership to carefully analyze what had gone wrong. ...

"After PEB 219, the leadership decided that we would change forever how we were doing business. ...

"And once we had a plan, we would do whatever is necessary -- and I do mean whatever is necessary -- to ensure that we had the resources to fight back. What we were doing right, we would continue to do right, and improve. What we were doing wrong, we would stop. ...

"An important part of the plan is to recognize that there are matters that we have no control over, and just because our membership may need and want changes doesn't mean that we are going to be successful in achieving them.

"A good example of something we urgently need, but despite our best efforts rarely obtain, is rail labor unity under a militant progressive leadership. ...

"Most importantly, our new way of doing business afforded us all the exciting opportunities of working together, at all levels, with the greatest degree of knowledge and unity possible. ...

"From this point forward, the BMWE began to soar. A Membership Mobilization Department was added, and system officers and local lodge officers conducted meetings all over the United States and Canada to learn and take direction from our membership, while keeping them informed of events as they happened.

"We conducted corporate campaigns, informational picketing, strikes, media offensives, concentrated lobbying, coalition building with the other crafts, and a host of other activities designed at all levels of the Brotherhood.

"But an accomplishment that we should all be most proud of occurred at our last Grand Lodge Convention. As many of you here today were delegates to that Convention, I'm sure that you will remember on Thursday, we stopped all business of the Convention and conducted our first ever Solidarity Education Day. This event allowed the delegates an opportunity to become directly involved in deciding the BMWE's direction for the next round of bargaining and helped to secure a contract that the membership actually wanted.

"During Solidarity Day, and to paraphrase the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, we worked together, struggled together, agreed we were willing to go to jail together, if necessary, knowing that we would never again have a substandard agreement imposed on us by anyone -- not the railroads, and not the governments of Canada and the United States. ...

"The delegates gave us the right to create an Organizing Department, a Safety Department, and a Communications Department.

"The Organizing Department recently became a reality and has organized and has had successes as we noted earlier -- as well as failures -- because as you know, organizing is a very difficult process.

"The Safety Department has brought us into the center of the struggle to guarantee that our members who go to work each day return each night in as healthy a condition as when they left, without being harassed and intimidated. Our Safety Department is recognized as top caliber by Rail Labor, the railroads, the Federal Railroad Administration, and our members.

"And our Communications Department has radically changed and succeeded in making our JOURNAL an in-house, award-winning periodical which is more relevant to the lives of our members and less costly to the Brotherhood.

"The delegates to the last Convention allowed the BMWE to affiliate with the Labor Party, a national political party with a program that is committed to furthering labor's interests. Building the Labor Party does not get in the way of conducting politics with the Democrats and Republicans in the United States. We remain deeply engaged in politics as it exists.

"Our involvement with the Labor Party means that we look forward to changing politics, to an independent voice for working people. For example, the Labor Party's established agenda includes, among other things, the unbridled right of railroad workers to strike without government interference and the absolute prohibition of any government agency from granting companies the right to unilaterally abrogate contracts."

"Over the past four years, we have restructured our Legislative Department and have achieved results that many considered impossible. The hard work and commitment of that department, as well as that of our Legislative Directors, was critical to BMWE victories on the national round, on Amtrak and Conrail, on Railroad Retirement, on preserving a bit of job security when the conservatives attacked the limited benefits of 'New York Dock.' Many of those Legislative Directors were delegates to the founding convention of the Labor Party.

"While we were busy returning our union to the members, other momentous events were occurring with the Labor Movement. As we all know, a union of 50,000 members in the United States and Canada, cannot, on its own, even if militant, progressive, intelligent and unified, achieve all it needs. This is because of the political nature of collective bargaining in the United States and in Canada.

"In the United States, an insurgency developed within the AFL-CIO, the organization which includes virtually all national and international unions in the United States. The insurgency was led by John Sweeney, then president of the Service Employees' International Union, Rich Trumka, then president of the United Mine Workers union, and Linda Chavez-Thompson, Vice President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.

"Their program sounded identical to ours, and I enthusiastically became involved in their campaign. They called for reversing the trend I [previously] described -- declining real wages, benefits and working conditions in an environment of soaring profits, productivity and executive compensation. They talked of militancy, organizing, mobilizing -- bringing labor back.

"And at the end of October of 1995, a little over a year after our last Convention, Sweeney, Trumka and Chavez-Thompson succeeded in overturning the prior leadership of the AFL-CIO and returning it to its members.

"This meant that in our political fights we had an in-your-face labor leadership to assist our in-your-face union. In addition, I was elected to the Executive Council of the new AFL-CIO. ...

"In the United States, the alliance between the new AFL-CIO and the BMWE allowed us to move mountains. The BMWE was active on every front, in Congress, before the Administration, at the bargaining table, in developing a world-class presentation to the members of Presidential Emergency Board 229 and before the various government agencies that impact on us, with the active, brilliant assistance of John Sweeney, Rich Trumka and Linda Chavez-Thompson.

"Maintaining rail labor unity has been a major problem for the BMWE when it comes to the AFL-CIO and its support. Each of the other rail unions are also affiliates of the AFL-CIO, and when they disagree with our agenda, it makes it more difficult for the AFL-CIO to simply support us. And, frankly, we must be on guard that the BMWE does not become submerged in a rail labor movement that doesn't always agree with our militant, progressive direction.

"As a result of the BMWE/AFL-CIO alliance, our members obtained the best agreement that we have seen in two decades, and we could have done even better had rail labor remained united.

"After all is said and done, despite tactical defeats and changes in our tactics caused by hostile, ideological courts, more than 65 percent of the membership voted on the national agreement, and nearly 90 percent of those ratified the contract. An absolute majority on each road voted to endorse the agreement, the first time in our history that the Brotherhood had seen such participation and results. ...

"Brothers and sisters of this great union, thank you for allowing me the privilege of representing you as your president over the past eight years. Solidarity forever!"

The full text of President Fleming's remarks can be found in the Official Proceedings of the Convention.

Keynote Address -- Secretary-Treasurer William E. LaRue

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Secretary-Treasurer William E. LaRue also received a standing ovation when he was introduced by Temporary Chairman Gary Housch as one who "has toiled tirelessly for this union from the trenches to the command posts."

After welcoming all to the Convention and the city of Montreal, Secretary-Treasurer LaRue said, "I am proud to stand before you having had the honor to be permitted to participate in the changes undertaken by this Brotherhood over the past two decades and especially the past four years. ...

"Now, as we approach the turning of the century, we must look forward to the new millennium and the great future of this great Brotherhood, and must not look back except to recognize our errors of the past and erase them from the future, for an ancient proverb says, 'Never look back unless you plan to go that way.' ...

"The Brotherhood's tireless endeavors over the past four years have unselfishly fought the tide of complacency and brought about a great change as a result of PEB 229, PEB 234 and a settlement of CN and CP contracts in Canada, not to mention the settlements of those contracts not a part of a national agreement.

"To support a strong union, we must encourage membership involvement and make available the vehicles for such change. As union members, COPE members, and members of the Maintenance of Way Political League, we must stand unified, ready to support our political friends and chastise our enemies no matter what our political affiliation. We must continue to participate and communicate through political education programs. We must play an integral part in the communication and education of our subordinate lodges to ensure that each member recognizes their importance as a part of this union.

"Perhaps a slogan used by the re-energized AFL-CIO will best say what needs to be done. 'You have a voice, make it heard.' Make it heard on the job about safety, equality and unity of all our brothers and sisters. Make it heard on the picket line, be it informational or strike, that we as BMWE members must be treated with fairness and equality if they expect a fair day's work.

"Make your voice heard to the public and to our next generation that the working conditions and wages, such as health benefits, vacations, rules, are not a gift but have been fought for by the union membership and they have not come without a cost, and by being a union member, the benefits can be theirs when they belong to a union and organize.

"What does all this mean? As officers and delegates to this convention, we are here following the most successful four-year period this Brotherhood has seen in decades. We are now charged with the duty and the responsibility to enter the next millennium with the same fire that the Brotherhood has blazed over the past four years. We are charged as leaders to ensure that the changes which need to be made are made to permit this Brotherhood to grow in unity through communications, education and pride. Just as important, we must permit the union to grow in membership and not become stagnant. We must organize the unorganized. ...

"Abraham Lincoln once said, 'The strongest bond of human sympathy, outside of the family relation, should be one of uniting all working people of all nations, tongues and kindred.'

"Together as we develop this plan, we must remember that nothing comes without a cost. A plan of action by any union is a plan that will call forth each member to unselfishly sacrifice three things -- time, dedication and money -- to win those battles that we will be engaging in tomorrow, next month, next year and the next century. Without each of these three ingredients, any plan we develop will fall short of fruition. ...

"We must be prepared to give of our time to demonstrate, picket, organize internally and the unorganized. We must dedicate ourselves to ensure that our voice is heard, to lead those who cannot or choose not to lead. We must dedicate ourselves to ensure that we remain united and work to unite all our members of this union and other sister unions. We must also be prepared to finance these battles, for without this commitment, the time and dedication spent will be for naught."

The full text of Secretary-Treasurer LaRue's remarks can be found in the Official Proceedings of the Convention.

Keynote Address -- AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka

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Special Guest Richard Trumka was introduced to the Convention by President Fleming with these words: "... he is a great leader. He is more than an acquaintance, he is a true friend of yours and mine.

"A third generation coal miner from Pennsylvania who began work in the coal mine at 19 years of age, he joined the United Mine Workers of America and first served the union as safety committee chairman. At a young age he became an activist in the Miners for Democracy reform movement and helped reinvigorate the United Mine Workers of America.

"He is an individual who has spent a lifetime in the trenches working for an fighting for the rights of hard-working Americans, an individual who during his tenure as President of the United Mine Workers led two major strikes against coal-producing giants -- Pittston in 1989, and Bituminous Coal Operators in 1993 -- successful strikes that resulted in significant job security, pension and fringe benefit advances for mine workers.

"A member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council since 1989, he chaired the Strategic Approaches Committee and was instrumental in developing tactics to bring international labor to bear upon multinational conglomerates involved in dispute with United States workers. ...

"As many of you are aware, in his capacity as Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and with the complete support of President Sweeney, he personally unlocked doors at the White House and in the halls of Congress to bring the support of the 14 million members of the AFL-CIO to bear during our last round of national negotiations.

"I can't express to you enough how tremendous an asset he and the entire AFL-CIO was to the BMWE and all of rail labor during the '95 round. His personal involvement and genuine interest in the Brotherhood's struggle was instrumental to the BMWE in achieving the best national collective bargaining agreement we have seen in 30 years. A true champion of the ideals of organized labor, it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, Brother Richard Trumka."

Excerpts from Brother Trumka's electrifying speech, which was interrupted many times by enthusiastic applause and several standing ovations, follows. The full text of his remarks can be found in the Official Proceedings of the Convention.

"I want to say one thing to you and this union, Mac. All those people that came before you since 1887 were tremendous trade unionists and they faced tremendous struggles. But the people in this room face just as tremendous struggles, and you are every bit their equal as trade unionists, and I'm honored to be here today to say thank you, brothers and sisters, for inviting me. Thank you, BMWE. ...

"BMWE was one of the first unions to step forward and support our New Voices campaign to rejuvenate the AFL-CIO. You've been there beside us every step of the way since, and I have to tell you we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And we will be with you every single time that you need us to be there.

"Now we've come a long way from the early days when we said we were going to transform the AFL-CIO from a top down, Washington-based bureaucracy to a bottom up, lean, mean fighting machine. Because all our AFL-CIO unions have been willing to toughen up and strike harder and smarter and stand together, we've taken it to the likes of Boeing and Bridgestone/Firestone and Wheeling-Pitt and UPS. ...

"We beat back attempts to destroy the 40-hour work week, to bring back company unions, and to eliminate on-the-job health and safety protections.

"Because trade unionists like you cared enough to fight and were selfish enough to work together with your sisters and brothers from other unions, we did three things that they said couldn't be done: Against all odds, we raised the minimum wage, then we sank Fast Track, an then we won at Amtrak. Thanks to you and all of your efforts. ...

"If the new labor movement is flying high, the people in this room, each of you, you're the wind beneath our wings, ...

"Let me share a word of caution with you. ... They're still trying to outsource us out of business. They're still trying to downsize us out of business, and they're still trying to privatize us out of business. The snakes behind the company unions and Fast Track haven't really slithered away. They're still lying in the weeds down in Washington just waiting to catch us with our boots off. ...

"And the truth is that despite all of our victories, workers are still laboring longer and harder for less than we deserve while corporations and the wealthy are still getting away with more and more and more than they can spend. ...

"And it's a cruel, cruel contradiction for working people because while wages went up a little last year for some of us for the first time in 40 years, they remain stagnant for most and are still declining for the bottom 30 percent, while corporate profits and the stock market and executive salary are at unimaginable levels.

"And nowhere is the cruel contradiction more apparent than in the difference between wages and bonuses for executives who make the decisions and the workers who make the products in our society.

"You see, in 1997, the average pay for industrial workers in the United States increased 2.6 percent, while CEO pay went up 35 percent, a rate 13 times a percentage increase for factory workers. In 1997 was the continuation of an absurd trend.

"In 1980, CEO pay was 41 times the pay for a full-time factory worker. By 1997, it was 285 times with the average CEO making $3,750 a minute.

"Now, think about this. That CEO goes to the john for ten minutes -- and makes more than two minimum wage workers make in an entire year. And I'd venture to say that those ten minutes are the only productive time that they've had in the last couple years.

"You see, last year it took less than a day for a CEO to earn as much as a factory worker earns in an entire year. And in case this gets confused as class struggle rhetoric, let me add that Business Week called it an unprecedented inflationary spiral in executive pay, because the facts are between 1980 an 1997, workers' pay went up 81 percent, the CPI went up 95 percent, while corporate profits increased by 328 percent, and CEO pay went up 1,148 percent. ...

"And now that we're beginning to make a little headway at closing that wage and wealth gap, we face an all-out union-bashing campaign to silence our new voice through sham congressional hearings and assaults like paycheck deception.

"So as proud as we are and as we may be of our work over the past few months, and the challenges that we've met together, I have to ask you, are you ready for more picket lines and more sweat and more sacrifice and more solidarity and more aggressive acts of solidarity than you've ever seen before, at least in the last 20 years? Are you ready to bust more butts of corporations who want to bust unions? Are you ready for more?

"Well, brothers and sisters, we have to be ready for more, because the old right and the new right and the far right and the not-quite-so-right are continuing their war on working families, and our response must be to work harder than we've ever worked, to be more daring and aggressive than we've ever been, especially during this political year, and to organize more effectively than we've ever organized before. ...

"We'll win, brothers and sisters, because we're working together, because we're organizing together, because we're fighting together. And, by God, we're kicking some butt together. This is our year. Let's get them in the '90s."