I'm writing this on the night after Easter, a religious holiday celebrated by many Christians around the world. The celebration consists of Christians rejoicing the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the father of Christianity. I bring this up because of the story that takes place on the night before Jesus was to be crucified. It is on this night that He goes into the garden of Gethsemane and prays to God. In Matthew 26:39 there was evidence of the impending agony that He would be facing and a fear that He expresses in His prayer. The fear is replaced by a call to duty through a love for mankind..... Although none of us are facing a crucifixion or death, we still face fear. Something that All men have and still do face on a daily basis. But fear is also the chisel that builds character. It has both sculpted heroes and revealed cowards. As a religious man I have faith that my fears can be conquered, and so I move through life with a sense of confidence that is based on faith. As Teamsters we are blessed with another sense of confidence that can't be found anywhere else in the world.chisel is also a tool. These tools can be used in organizing to either chisel a hero, or by the company to whittle down a coward.

 This past week I went out and met workers from Coca-Cola who were looking to decertify. I met numerous young men who had not yet learned to speak or think for themselves and was blindly following a company campaign to their own detriment. These kids were scared and ignorant to their own rights and benefits. I believe they were looking for 10/18/2011 something or someone to believe in and fell for the company propaganda. As organizers I believe we have a call to duty.....not just to walk around with our chests puffed out and telling the world how great we are. But to give the rest of labor something to believe in, with great contracts and a legacy that perpetuates confidence. We need to use our tools to help chisel some heroes out there, one by one. I have yet to master any of the tools in my arsenal , but I am greatly aware of those tools and the effects of those tools on the people I speak to. I'm not sure how many Coke employees I was able to sway in my short time speaking with them, but I do know I was prepared with the proper tools before meeting up with them. This training, and the others like this, have prepared me for the unexpected.....mainly because most of what I have faced, has been unexpected. I feel that my tools have been sharpened; my confidence strengthened, and heard the call to duty. I hope these trainings will continue on a more consistent basis so that I may better myself as a organizer and help to give the rest of labor something to believe in.

Thomas Sierra