Happy Labor/Labour Day!
Dear IFPTE Family,
We meet this 2022 Labor/Labour Day with reflection, gratitude and hope.
We extend our gratitude to every single one of you - the nearly 90,000 represented members of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE). In every sector where IFPTE members work, they have gone above and beyond under historically difficult circumstances.
Our members have kept our roads, our schools, our cities, our states, our military, our energy supplies and our economy moving forward. Our members have done so while figuring out how to adjust to ever-changing work conditions, care for their children, comfort loved ones who are sick and, in some cases, say goodbye to friends and family, often without the solace that a funeral or life celebration can provide.
Most importantly, our members have done so without hesitation or complaint.
Our IFPTE family also thanks those workers on the front lines of fighting the over two-year long pandemic. Much has been written and said about the sacrifice of workers in the medical profession, including those represented by IFPTE, and the crucial role they played in saving lives throughout the pandemic. Our lives personally have been touched by these courageous women and men. We extend our profound gratitude to them on this Labor Day and every other day of the year, and we appreciate all that their unions have done to protect and support them throughout the pandemic.
This Labor/Labour Day we pause, in particular, to honor our sisters, brothers and siblings who, along with their families, are being held hostage by the Russian Army at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. As a union that represents thousands of nuclear workers throughout Canada and the United States, IFPTE and its members truly appreciate the expertise, professionalism and dedication required to operate a nuclear power plant. That these workers do so at the tip of a rifle is a testament to their resolve and their commitment to people throughout Europe. We salute them and hope that Vladimir Putin will end his game of brinkmanship at Zaporizhzhia.
Benjamin Disreali once said, "There is no education like adversity." If nothing else, we have all learned a lot over the past few years--some of it good and some of it bad. Speaking for ourselves, we have learned much from the fortitude, optimism and selflessness of our members. Every day that we wake up and go to work, we are inspired by you, the members of IFPTE. Among the many things we have learned is that our union's Solidarity is strong enough to be real even when it is virtual.
May this Labor/Labour Day bring you and your families joy and an opportunity to either take a well-earned moment of rest or to celebrate in the company of loved ones. We salute your work, your strength, and your example.
Happy Labor/Labour Day!
Matt Biggs and Gay Henson
