Sisters and brothers, thanks for coming out this morning. I’m Rich Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO. I know it’s early, but we’ve got voices, and we’re going to make them heard.

I want to know one thing: Do you want jobs? Do you want security? Do you want to rebuild Oregon -- to rebuild America? Do you want to dig us out of this recession with good, honest work? Good. And I’m glad we’re in this fight together.

Look around you. Oregon’s official unemployment rate is 10.5 percent. One in five Oregonians is out of work or settling on part-time work when they need full-time. Those aren’t just numbers. Those are lives, families struggling on the edge -- and we won’t settle for that.

 For 30 years, corporate CEOs have been waging war against workers, eroding our foundation, chipping away at us and at America’s middle class -- and we won’t settle for that.

 They’ve been hard at work to low-wage us, to outsource our livelihoods, to pit us against each other. It’s worked pretty damn well.  And we won’t settle for that.

 We’re up against a wall, brothers and sisters.

 I’m talking about us. I’m talking about our families, who have lost jobs -- our neighbors -- and we understand what that means. We understand the terrible ache, when it looks like only a miracle can save our home, or our car, or our marriage.

When we talk about good jobs, we’re talking about something larger – we’re talking about whether America is going to be a nation of a permanent underclass supporting the super-rich, or whether all of us will have a chance to work hard and earn a measure of prosperity and security for ourselves.

It’s when we stand together, brothers and sisters, that we’re able to do that, to bargain for a better life for ourselves and our children. We’re stronger together, when we’re unified, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

That’s how Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley earned his millions as a journeyman in the NBA.

But when he runs as a Republican who campaigns against working families, when he trots out his union credentials to hide his true agenda, Chris Dudley shows himself to be the worst kind of opportunist, a turncoat. When he left the NBA, he became a front-man for a multi-million dollar investment group. He has steadfastly opposed popular measures that have helped working Oregonians.

And worse, for four years while he played for the Trailblazers, he actually owned a home across the river in Washington. So he avoided paying his fair share of Oregon taxes -- dollars to support the government he aims to lead. Well, I’m telling you, Dudley’s politics are as poor as his free-throw percentage.

Oregon’s best choice is John Kitzhaber. He understands the pressures Oregonians are under. He has a powerful plan to create jobs and to help lead Oregon out of this recession.

Because, when all is said and done, this election is about jobs, good jobs.

When you make Kitzhaber your governor on November 2, we’ll be stronger for the fight on November 3, and the next day, and the day after that, for the jobs we need. 

Nobody’s going to hand them to us.  And people who want better have to understand: If Oregon and America are going to create new jobs with rising wages, stable benefits and promising futures, we've got to work for it.              

If you believe that keeping jobs in this country matters, and in returning America to a country that makes things again, work for it.

If you believe that America must invest in transportation and technology, education and the environment, work for it.                   

If you believe that Wall Street got us into this mess and now must pay its fair share of the costs to get us out, work for it.              

Work for Kitzhaber. Stand for Kitzhaber. Stand together. March together.  Fight together. And on November 2, win for Kitzhaber! 

And don’t let anyone—anyone—stand in your way.              

Thank you. And God bless you all.