It is hard to believe it is 2021. After a year like no other, a year that has tested us all; we, as brothers and sisters, stood together to fight through the challenges this pandemic has created. We watched coworkers, close friends and family members fall ill and sadly mourned the loss of those taken away. We faced many fears and unknowns along the way, but we persevered. There were times when a brighter future seemed so far away, but now I believe we are finally starting to see a small shred of light at the end of this tunnel. I am pleased to say that the optimism for organized labor is better this year than it has ever been. Recent prolabor decisions at the Nation’s highest level, like the replacement of an anti-union, sitting general counsel at the NLRB and a Secretary of Labor choice who comes right out of the labor movement have all gotten this year off on the right foot. Recent passage of the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021, as part of the American Rescue Plan, will finally allow more than 34,000 Teamster members to rest a little easier. This new legislation will help protect Capital Region Teamsters (and thousands of other Upstate Teamsters) from pension benefit cuts and to avoid future cuts – so our families and retirement security are not put at further risk. This must-pass legislation was a personal goal for US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer since he visited our local office back in 2018. He recognized then that a pension protection package was essential and fought to ensure that it continued to remain alive. As our country now looks to reopen and rebuild after this unprecedented pandemic, maintaining the solvency of the multiemployer pension system is key to economic recovery. While a number of important details are left for later regulatory guidance, which may not be issued for several months, it is important to know that the Trustees of our Pension Fund will closely monitoring legislative developments and the potential impact on the Fund and will update participants oncethey have moreinformation. Our organizing efforts have been more active than ever because this pandemic has put a spotlight on the vulnerability of workers who had no choice but to go to work or lose their paychecks. Now those workers are choosing to organize to voice their complaints about their safety, pay and working conditions. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that our members, new or longstanding, are treated with dignity and receive the pay, benefits, and workplace protections they deserve because we all know this country was not built by CEOs. This country was built by hard-working Americans like our Teamster Local 294 brothers and sisters, who, throughout all the chaos and confusion, continued to provide vital, essential services to keep our economy going. It was all of you that every community could count on to get the essential work done. You showed up consistently to keep roads cleared, waste hauled, students bused, packages (many containing PPE and vaccines) delivered and so much more …when it was needed the most and got the job done! For that I say thank you! So, on that note, we keep moving forward, together, united and hoping for a better 2021 for all