Pre-Conference: Building the Movement to Meet the Moment

Working people across America and around the world are coming together in the proud union city of Philadelphia to join the 29th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention. As one movement, we are engaging, learning and preparing to take the next steps on the journey for dignity and justice at work.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler (third from right) and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer/Executive Vice President Fred Redmond (left) welcome members of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) to the AFL-CIO Unity Summit. Photo credit: Keith Mellnick for the AFL-CIO.

Message from President Liz Shuler

Civil rights are workers’ rights. Together, we’re building a labor movement that focuses on equality for everyone, no matter your race or background.
America’s union members are taking the lead in the worldwide struggle for fairness and justice on the job. And now more than ever, we are working collectively with our union sisters, brothers and siblings in every part of the world to embrace the challenges and opportunities of our global economy.
As I welcome delegates and guests to the AFL-CIO Convention, I see the excitement in their faces and I sense their eagerness to create a brighter future. We will shape that brighter future together as one. This is just the beginning.

Liz

Young workers raise fists in solidarity at the AFL-CIO Unity Summit. Photo credit: Keith Mellnick for the AFL-CIO.

Young workers raise fists in solidarity at the AFL-CIO Unity Summit. Photo credit: Keith Mellnick for the AFL-CIO.

Strength Through Inclusivity: Union Members and Our Allies Gather for Unity Summit

The AFL-CIO Unity Summit convened on Saturday morning to plan for the future of America’s labor movement, with inclusivity at the heart of our work. Panels of union members led discussions on promoting racial justice, organizing young workers, combating voter suppression and organizing communities of color. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer/Executive Vice President Fred Redmond and his office planned this pre-convention event.

*International trade unionists at the AFL-CIO Global Organizing Symposium. Photo credit: Jay Millan for the AFL-CIO.*

AFL-CIO Global Organizing Symposium Brings Union Leaders Together from Across the World

Hundreds of union activists from around the world came together for the AFL-CIO Global Organizing Symposium. Attendees discussed a range of actions, such as organizing workers in the platform economy, fostering a just transition to clean energy, promoting racial and gender equity, and protecting democracy.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer/Executive Vice President Fred Redmond speaking at the AFL-CIO Global Organizing Symposium’s panel discussion on protecting democracy. Photo credit: Jay Mallin for the AFL-CIO.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer/Executive Vice President Fred Redmond spoke at the panel discussion about unions on the front lines of democracy.

“Unions are often the bellwether of a democracy,” said AFL-CIO International Director Cathy Feingold. “As an increasing number of workers and their families feel that their democracy is no longer responsive to their needs, the role of unions in defending and protecting democracy has never been more important.”

AFL-CIO International Director Cathy Feingold speaking to the Global Organizing Symposium. Photo credit: Jay Millan for the AFL-CIO. — F

Newest Generation of Union Members Leading the Movement

Young workers are the future of our labor movement. At an organizing action session on Saturday afternoon, three young organizers shared the lessons they’ve learned from being on the front lines organizing more young people into the movement. Haylee Hilton (pictured below, right), the field director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO, recommended that we use a ladder of engagement and avoid union jargon when talking to young workers.

“How do you find the space in rooms to get more young workers at the table and continue to tackle internal organizational hurdles at the same time?,” asked Bricklayers (BAC) President Timothy Driscoll (not pictured). Hilton responded, “If there isn’t a seat at the table, you make one. This means making sure everything you’re doing is through an accessibility lens.”

Left to right: Jess Dampier, executive committee member of U.S. Labor Against Racism and War; Dana Trentalange, organizer for Writers’ Guild of America, East (WGAE); Minnesota AFL-CIO Field Director Haylee Hilton

Left to right: Jess Dampier, executive committee member of U.S. Labor Against Racism and War; Dana Trentalange, organizer for Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE); Minnesota AFL-CIO Field Director Haylee Hilton

Labor Leaders and Union Members Pay Tribute to Our Champion, Brother Richard Trumka

Rich Trumka Jr. speaks at the tribute event for his late father, former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.

Rich Trumka Jr. speaks at the tribute event for his late father, former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.

Richard Trumka was president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO from 2009 until his passing on Aug. 5, 2021. An outspoken advocate for economic and social justice, he was the nation’s clearest voice on the critical need to ensure that all workers have a good job and the power to determine our wages and working conditions.

Union members assembled on Saturday evening for an event to honor the life of Brother Trumka. Rich Trumka Jr. (pictured above), President Joe Biden, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh (LIUNA), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, International Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Sharan Burrow, Mine Workers (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler spoke movingly about his love of family and his lasting legacy to the labor movement.

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