It is a practical necessity as well as a moral obligation because the exploitation of working people anywhere undercuts the security of working people everywhere. That is why the labor movement in the United States is organizing workers from the strawberry fields of California, to the poultry factories and textile mills of the South, to workers in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care agencies, school systems and state and local governments throughout the nation. We try to reflect the spirit of solidarity in everything we do. In public debate, we try to speak for all working Americans and their families, not just for union members. But we are well aware that much more must be done, especially in the international arena.
Corporations are increasingly global in scope.
But the efforts of working people and their unions, and others of good will, are too often limited to our own countries. That is why it is so important to strengthen the mediating institutions of government both at a national and transnational level and insist that they must intensify their efforts to defend working people in this ultra-competitive global economy. That is why the I.L.O. and the W.T.O. need to strengthen their commitments to the rule of law and the rights of working people. That is why labor federations and labor unions need to expand our efforts to work with our sisters and brothers throughout the world. This means organizing and bargaining on an international scale.