Teamsters from all over the country will attend. We are hoping to bring to light our issues and urge the company to come back to the table.

We've said for weeks now that we are ready, willing and able to meet Sikorsky at the negotiating table and work out a fair contract that gets our people back to work and lets them maintain affordable health care benefits. What I do want is for both sides to fully understand the wide-ranging effects this situation is having on individuals, families, communities and the state as a whole.

Sikorsky officials erroneously believe that negotiations mean we must accept their inferior and unacceptable contract offer. What is missing from the company's position is the normal give and take that occurs during good-faith bargaining.

It serves no one when one side is going through the motions of negotiations, but not seriously addressing the core issue that remains in contention. We are not asking for anything that will radically change the overall economics of the past proposals. Our members would like nothing better than to see this resolved so they can get back to doing what they do better than anyone in the world -- building America's helicopters.

On the other hand, I think that the family, the traditional family, has a fundamental social role, because it's there that children are born and the investment in children is the greatest investment a country can make. The benefits of this investment go to everyone.

There was so much talent out there. The game was closer to what you might see at an open gym, and the fans got to see some amazing plays.