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It has been a tough year for working folks.

Weve been hit by the economic "perfect storm." The September 11, 2001, aftershocks continued throughout 2002. The lying, cheating ways of many corporations and their accountants came to light, casting a further chill on the economy. The stock market took back some two trillion dollars in the value of institutional and individual retirement funds.

Is now the time to hang our heads? No.

Will Rogers once said that you can learn a lot from reading the newspapers. You can miss a lot too. While the media were talking about the Republican "sweep" and President Bush was talking about a mandate, not many were taking a closer look at the numbers. And those numbers show an incredibly thin margin of victory for most Republican winners in the contested races. They achieved it through a massive cash advantagesome $183 million, not including the "independent expenditures" by their allies, like the $19 million poured into ads by the pharmaceutical industry in the days before the vote. They did itto their creditwith a page from our book, voter turnout efforts in key states. They did it by blurring the issuesappearing moderate on issues like prescription drugs and corporate accounting reforms, while keeping their distance from social security privatization. And they benefited from low turnout among those who have a stake in the bread-and-butter economic issues.

The numbers also show that union members got the message. A survey conducted by Peter Hart and Associates for the AFL-CIO showed that union members in general voted for Democratic candidates for the U.S House of Representatives by a margin of 68 to 32 percent. Even union members who identify themselves as independents voted for Democrats for the House by a 62-38 margin. In the Senate, the union vote for Democrats was 70-30 and even more in the most hotly contested races.

The same poll also showed that union voters identified the economy and jobs as their top issue in deciding for whom they would vote. Health care and Social Security were their next highest priorities.

Union voters sent another message. Fifty-nine percent of union members surveyed said that Democrats are on the side of ordinary working people. Sixty-six percent said the Republicans are primarily on the side of large corporations. But when asked if they thought that Democrats had a clear plan for strengthening the economy, 47 percent of all union members said no. Independent union voters said no by a margin of 58 to 23 percent.

If that was the sentiment among union members, imagine how unorganized working people felt. In a tight election year, too many politicians seemed to feel too timid about standing up with a strong, clear voice on the core economic issues of the day. And in the absence of that message, issues of war and patriotism took on more importance.

If you want to know about the IBEWs feelings on patriotism and defending the United States, take a look at the article about IBEW members in military service on page 6 of this issue. And go back and look at your Journal from this time last year showing the response of IBEW members, especially at the convention, to the September 11 attacks. Its still on the web site if you dont have your copy. Our patriotism is beyond question, and we challenge anyone to call IBEW members weak on this issue.

But that doesnt mean we still dont ask the tough questions. Why does the president think that homeland security and workers rights cant coexist? Why cant we pay attention to the economic needs of our country while were fighting the war on terrorism? Why do our nations policies tilt so heavily toward the wealthiest and most powerful while so many working families are hurting?

If President Bush and his friends in Congress think they have a mandate to let corporations continue to run amok, continue the de-industrialization of North America, privatize Social Security, and gut workers rights, then all we can say is: Make our day. Organized labor is quite capable of fighting on two frontsagainst our enemies overseas and for economic justice here at home.

And theres only one way to do itorganize. Clearly, union members know the score and are motivated to mobilize and vote. The problem is that there are not enough of us. There are too many unorganized workers who feel dispirited and beaten down by the system and feel nobody speaks for them. The first thing weve got to do is organize them so that we can teach them to speak up for themselves. Weve got to spread the message of unionization and economic justice to more workers, so that they feel the same motivation that existing union members do. Then and only then will elected officials respond to the needs of the vast majority of people, not just the privileged few.

So weve already made up our list of New Years resolutions, and its only got one itemorganize!

This is our first issue published since the untimely death of Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. The Senator was one of the very few whose message was never muddled. He stood fast for working people and social and economic justice throughout his 12 years in the Senate. He is already missed. And we simply want to say on behalf of all IBEW members: Thank you, Senator, wherever you are.

We wish every IBEW member and all of our families and friends the peace and joy of the season. We wish you all a New Year filled with solidarity. We have much to do, but we will get it done, together as always.

Edwin D. Hill
International President

Jeremiah J. O'Connor
International Secretary-Treasurer