CHANGES IN LABOR MOVEMENT DISCUSSED AT SEPTEMBER 8^TH MEETING

Lindy Scott, 6^th District Congressional Candidate, To Speak

In late July of this year, the AFL-CIO held its 50^th Anniversary Convention in Chicago to elect a president (John Sweeney) and to deliberate on the important issues facing organized labor in the United States and around the world. One important product of the convention was the passage of a historic resolution critical of the Iraq War and calling for troops to be brought home “rapidly.”

In spite of a call for unity and solidarity among convention attendees by such figures as Governor Blagojevich and Reverend Jesse Jackson, a major split was about to occur within America’s labor movement. The split was caused by the disaffiliation of the Service Employees Union (SEIU), Teamsters, UNITE –HERE and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) from the AFL-CIO.

What was the cause for this major split in the Labor Movement? What are the implications for the struggle to preserve worker’s rights and how will the split affect the American political landscape?

At the September 8^th meeting of the DuPage Democratic Club, we will seek to find the causes for this major schism. As usual, our Club meeting will start promptly at 8 PM and will be held at the Lombard Community Building, 433 E. St. Charles Road, Lombard. Joining us to discuss this important issue will be longtime Club member Matt DuPree. Matt has a long distinguished career as a teacher and currently serves on the North Central Labor Council. Also joining our discussion will be David Martino. Mr. Martino serves as the Political Director for SEIU Local 1 in Chicago.

Newest 6^th District Congressional Candidate To Speak  

On Friday, August 26^th, surrounded by close to 250 supporters, Wheaton College Professor Lindy Scott made his formal announcement to run for Congress in the Sixth District. Scott became the third Democrat to declare his candidacy and will appear at the Club’s September 8^th meeting. 

Scott was born in Columbus Ohio and studied Sociology at Ohio University. He then moved to Deerfield, Illinois where he received his Masters of Arts and Masters of Divinity degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His adult life has been split evenly between teaching in Latin America and working in the 6th District. He taught for sixteen years at the National Autonomous University in Mexico City and other institutions of higher education in Mexico City. He was also one of the founders and the first president of the Evangelical Free Church of Mexico. Scott also pastored the Evangelical Free Church in Des Plaines from 1984 to 1988.

Scott received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1991. In his dissertation and in other books he has written extensively about politics, economics, education, immigration, social ethics, and US foreign policy.

For the last ten years he has lived in Wheaton where he teaches Spanish and Latin American Studies at Wheaton College. More recently he has directed the Center for Applied Christian Ethics which promotes integrity and moral character in young people and the practice of social ethics in the contemporary world. He is also on the executive board of the Lydia Ministry that serves neglected children in Chicagoland and empowers women and men to strengthen their families.

Scott and his wife Dinorah have been married for twenty-six years. Together they have raised three grown children, John, Jenny, and Stephanie (a businessman, an artist, and a social activist). On his campaign web site, Scott states the following:

“I have learned discipline and perseverance by running eight Chicago Marathons. As you can see, my background combines a commitment to God and to my fellow neighbor. My goal is to serve in the House of Representatives as Jesus himself would serve. If Jesus were in Congress, he would be just and compassionate. He would listen to people from all sides of an issue and take action that would promote the wellbeing of all. That is my goal, to serve everyone in the 6th District of Illinois with humility, compassion and justice.”

Please plan on joining us on Thursday, September 8^th. Our meeting will start promptly at 8 PM. Our meeting will adjourn at around 9:30 PM for a period of refreshment and informal discussion. As always, newcomers are welcome.  

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