UAW vice president receives peace and justice award

From left, Father Roy Bourgeois, UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, Dawud Walid, Ed Schultz, Vanessa Fluker, Heaster Wheeler and the Rev. Ed Rowe.

As union and community leaders gathered in Detroit on Dec. 4, the group of about 500 kept the focus on three things: peace, justice and solidarity.

The topics, touched on by four awardees, community leaders and keynote speaker Ed Schultz – progressive radio and talk show host of “The Ed Show” on MSNBC – were enough to keep the crowd on its feet and some audience members overwhelmed with emotion.

It was especially moving for union members as UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada received the 2011 Central United Methodist Church (UMC) Peace and Justice Labor Award.

Estrada, a longtime union organizer and social activist, recently led negotiations between the Coalition of State Employee Unions and the State of Michigan to gain a new tentative agreement covering 35,000 state employees.

Estrada thanked Central UMC for the award. However, she said, accolades for paving the way to peace, justice and solidarity, especially during these tough economic times and constant attacks on working families, belong to union members across the country.

“These are the people who come together every day and work together to find a better way,” Estrada said. “More and more people are putting aside whatever differences they may have and joining forces to meet a common goal.”

“This is really great that Cindy is receiving this honor,” said UAW President Bob King. “Our members so much appreciate her work and dedication.”

King, who introduced award recipient Father Roy Bourgeois, senior cleric, Maryknoll Missionaries and founder of the School of the Americas (SOA) Watch, also received applause and recognition through the night as leaders thanked the UAW for its continued leadership and support of numerous issues.

Other awardees were Detroit foreclosure lawyer Vanessa G. Fluker and Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan, and Imam of Masjid Wali Muhammad.

In his address, Shultz applauded the work of unions and promised to continue his support of working families by telling the truth.

“I’m here with you,” Schultz told the group. “Unions are the last defense against corporate greed, and I am going to be right here with you.”

Schultz also encouraged the crowd to support the 1,300 American Crystal Sugar beet workers in North Dakota and northern Minnesota locked out over a contract dispute on Aug. 1.

“I cried all night,” said Lisa Mayberry, chair of the UAW Region 1 Women’s Committee. “This was all so emotional. There is a lot of hard work going on in this community.

“How can you not be moved to know what our leaders and members are doing every day in the fight against those who want to defeat us,” Mayberry added.

“This was very inspiring,” said Denise Caldwell of UAW Local 7 in Detroit. “This is a reminder of why we fight and how many lives are impacted when we fight and win.”

Sandra Davis