Now, more than ever, we need to think and act as WE THE UNION, rather than the "Us versus Them" mentality that is detrimental to our best interest. In Stephen P. Yokich's passionate farewell speech to the 33rd UAW Constitutional Convention, Steve said, "You want a great Union, you start with the rank and file and build up. You don't start at the top and build down."

Our sworn duty as leaders is to abide by the will of Our Members, to provide information to Our Members, and to provide open forums for discussion and debate. Ultimately, when all the information has been shared, discussed, amended and debated to the satisfaction of every single Member, our obligation then becomes to schedule a vote, where the Membership, has the responsibility, to ratify or reject a proposal, based on its merit.