GFT members had the opportunity to meet with AFT Western Regional Director, Gerard Friesz, at GFT’s 9th Annual Convention held last month. Friesz expressed the frustrations that union members experience in their jobs with issues such as in DOE and the Port Authority. “We can win if we stay determined. We are not going away. We will not back down, we will fight for our core values of dignity and respect on the job” stated Friesz. He spoke about our union members in 1965 who united to form GFT. They, too, experienced frustration but they mobilized new members, more members and took action.
“We are one Union. We are all in this together. What happens at an elementary school affects all of us, a refusal to implement a negotiated contract for the Port of Guam is an injustice for all workers and all working people in Guam. Now more than ever, we need to redouble our efforts and support our unions. We need to look beyond our own worksites and our own site issues and stand in solidarity with our union brothers and sisters in their fights.” – Gerard Friesz, AFT Western Regional Director