(JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK) – Just days before Western New York Union Members head to the polls to not only cast their vote for president, but also for an array of Congressional, New York State and local candidates, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Third District Vice President Don Siegel cautioned all who attended the Chautauqua County Democratic Committee’s Salute to American Labor Dinner that: “We’ve forgotten that ‘we’re all part of this” and “We ‘can’t believe everything will be taken care of just by voting.’”

It was a feather in the cap of the three Western New York IBEW Locals: Most notably for 106 in Jamestown and its President Bob Whitney and Business Manager David Wilkinson; 41 in Orchard Park (with Business Manager Mike Gaiser in attendance); and 237 in Niagara Falls (with Business Manager Russ Quarantello and Business Rep Mark Grozio, who also serves as a Niagara County Legislator, there to listen), to have Siegel – who oversees 124 Locals that combine to represent more than 135,000 Members across four states (New York, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey) – in attendance to address the annual Labor Dinner that was hosted at Local 106’s Union Hall in Jamestown on Thursday (November 3rd). 

And - it was not only representatives from the IBEW who were there. 

Also speaking at the dinner and listening to Siegel was Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Richard Lipsitz and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Western Region President Flo Tripi. 

In addition, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Southwestern Regional Director Anna Geronimo (who also heads the Cattaraugus-Allegany Central Labor Council), Southwestern Building & Construction Trades Council President Steve Thorpe, and a variety of both Public and Private Union Representatives from the Southern Tier attended the dinner.

“Labor and politics is ‘synonymous.’  I was ‘in politics before I was in a Union,’” said Siegel (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com Photo), who worked on President Jimmy Carter’s Staff in 1976 and said Carter was the “most honest man” ever to serve in the White House. 

Siegel also had high praise for President Obama, saying he was “proud’ of the president, who took over during a time of high employment and debt, while having to deal with a “hostile Congress.” 

“But (this presidential election) is the ‘craziest damn campaign’ that I have ‘ever seen.’  I’ve ‘never seen anything like it,’’” Siegel told those at the dinner.  “People ‘feel they’ve been abandoned by both parties’ and (Republican Presidential Candidate Donald) Trump is a ‘Molotov cocktail’ that they ‘want to throw through the window.’  (Trump’s) the ‘middle finger’ they’re giving to Washington.  There has ‘never been an election where more has been at stake.’  (Trump) is ‘like the guy at the end of the bar who has all the answers’ and we ‘never thought that person’ would run for president.  How ‘cruel can you be?’  He ‘lies’ to people who are ‘looking for a ray of hope’ and he has ‘no plan to do anything.’”

“Republicans in Washington are ‘more focused’ on ‘winning’ that running government,” he said, “and it ‘won’t matter’ how much of a majority (Democratic President Candidate Hillary Clinton) wins by.  (Organized Labor’s) ‘forgotten we’re part of this’ and we ‘can’t believe everything will be taken care of just by voting.’  We ‘can’t expect one person in Washington to change everything.’  We’ve ‘got to get out in the street’ and ‘demand’ they govern.  We need to ‘hold their feet to the fire.’  It’s ‘up to (Organized Labor and its Membership) to get in the streets as activists to ‘make it happen.’  We’ve ‘got to get to back’ to telling our neighbors that ‘we can’t blame everyone or look upon everyone with suspicion.’  ‘Imagine’ Washington ‘working together,’ (in a positive fashion like the IBEW and its National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Members do) – ‘sitting down and instead of sniping,’ ‘working together for the common good,’ but ‘we can’t get there if we’re sitting on the sofa and asking somebody else to do it.’  We ‘need’ our young Members to ‘get involved.’  They have ‘more at stake’ than I do.  In fact, I’ve ‘never seen a generation with more at stake (in this election).’”

With several county, state, federal and judicial candidates and/or their representatives in the room, Siegel urged Labor to help elect a “team” of leaders to work with what hopefully will be a Democratic president in the White House, as well as making sure an elected Democratic president will appoint vacancies to the U.S. Supreme Court with justices who will issue decisions favorable to the Working and Middle Class and not the 1%.

In introducing Siegel, IBEW Local 106 Business Manager Wilkinson said the IBEW Labor Leader is “respected” within his Union and the Labor Movement “for his actions and what he does.”  “Don Siegel is a ‘Labor Activist,’” Wilkinson said.  “He is a ‘different’ Labor Leader, he’s an ‘activist who takes up the cause of others, despite the consequences.’”

WNYALF President Lipsitz also spoke at the dinner, saying: “On Tuesday, we will ‘make a choice as a country, a very important one’ – and ‘we cannot let Donald Trump become president.’  I think we will be ‘successful.’  However, we have to (work hard) so (Democratic Congressional Candidate) John Plumb can defeat (incumbent Republican Southern Tier Congressman Tom) Reed, who will make a ‘special contribution’ on a ‘special’ night.”

CSEA Western Region President Tripi (Pictured Below, with Siegel on the left and IBEW Local 106 Business Manager David Wilkinson on the right/WNYLaborToday.com Photo) also spoke at the dinner, saying: “Organized Labor is a major part of this country” which would be a “third world country if it wasn’t for us in the Labor Community.  (If Trump wins) we are at ‘greater risk’ of ‘being gotten rid of as Union People.’  ‘Every single one of us must remember that.’  ‘We must keep our country strong and Union.’”

Chautauqua County Democratic Committee Chair Norman Green made mention that the Salute to American Labor Dinner has been held by the County Democratic Committee since the 60s.  He thanked those Labor Leaders and Unions in attendance for their “support” and for “being part of us.”

Dunkirk City Councilman Donald Williams, a CSEA Member who serves as the Chautauqua County Democratic Committee First Vice Chair, filled the role of Master of Ceremonies.

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: For More on Labor’s Involvement in Several Southern Tier races, Read Your On-Line Labor Newspaper’s October 26th Report, Headlined: Organized Labor Mobilizes For Congressional Candidate John Plumb… The WNYALF, Central Labor Councils, The IBEW, NYSUT & The USW Playing Major Roles In ‘Getting Out The Vote.’