We've all heard it before, maybe at a family gathering or at a get-together with friends:  "Unions were important at one time, but we don't need them anymore."  

How do we, as union members, respond in that situation?  Do we uncomfortably look the other way, or do we speak up, and rise in defense of working people?

Organized labor is under attack and has been for over thirty years.  So when people unknowingly repeat the rhetoric of that attack, we need to respond.  

The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund is asking our young people to do just that.  

The Hoffa Scholarship Fund is accepting entries as part of this year's Essay Contest which will award 100, $1000 scholarships to the children and dependent grandchildren of Teamster members.

To win "Cash for Class", students must write an essay on the topic:  What would you say to someone who says: "Unions were important at one time, but we don't need them anymore." 

The deadline for submissions is Monday, September 30, 2013.

So when friends or family declare that unions are no longer relevant, be sure to speak up.  Otherwise, people will never understand the true value of unions, both of yesterday and of today.