Richard Trumka, who had been AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer and United Mine Workers president, replaced John Sweeney as AFL-CIO president. Liz Shuler, formerly the executive assistant to Electrical Workers President Ed Hill, was elected secretary-treasurer. At 39, she is the youngest person ever to become an officer of the AFL-CIO.
Arlene Holt Baker, who was approved two years ago to fill out the term of retiring Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson, became the first African-American to be elected to one of the federation’s three highest offices.
“Even though the face of the American labor movement has changed, one thing hasn’t: It’s that the surest, the fastest, most effective way to lift workers and our families into the middle-class is with the strength, that can only, only come with a union contract,” Trumka told delegates.
“Even though it wasn’t the labor movement that got us into this mess, we are the people who are going to lead America out of it. But we can only do it if we seize this moment—we can only do it if we act now—we can only do it if we provide the leadership working Americans are demanding.”
The federation hopes that leadership will come in part from Shuler, who projects a new face for the labor movement. Touted for her political savvy, Shuler pledged to reach out to younger workers.
“We know what young people are capable of—we worked side by side with them last year in a political campaign to make real change happen,” she said. “We watched them organize and spread a message of hope to the American people, and we’ve got to build on those bonds of solidarity that were forged in the heat of the campaign.”
Holt Baker, a former AFSCME organizer, said, “I believe with every fiber in my body that our movement must keep on ensuring that millions of workers in this country have the dignity and respect they deserve. That means good wages, decent pensions, affordable health care and continuous job training. If we don’t fight for these securities, who will?”
Speaking out on major issues
If the new leadership of the AFL-CIO signified change in a federation that traces its roots to 1881, so did several resolutions adopted by delegates. They require the AFL-CIO at all levels to set concrete goals for expanding diversity in leadership and to increase its commitment to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and workers with disabilities at all levels.
“When we open doors, we build for the future,” said Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts. “There are workers who are not in this movement who will tell us they never met us, but they know us. The question is what will they know about us? What I want them to know about us is that the door is wide open.”
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers President Greg Junemann, who is legally blind, said, “I’m lucky to be in a union that doesn’t care about your eyesight but your clarity of vision.”
Delegates also condemned the exploitation of immigrant workers and called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that protects worker rights and provides a path to citizenship. Steelworkers President Leo Gerard said the best protection against exploitation is a strong union movement –in the United States and across the world.
In other resolutions, delegates called on the Obama administration to boost the economy with another stimulus package and an even greater investment in green jobs. They backed President Obama on his health care proposal – including a public option to provide an alternative to private insurance – while also voicing unanimous support for the enactment of single payer health coverage for all Americans.
“Our nation should provide a single high standard of comprehensive care for all,” the resolution states.
For more information
Read the resolutions and learn more at the AFL-CIO convention website
View all Workday coverage of the AFL-CIO convention
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Richard Trumka, who had been AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer and United Mine Workers president, replaced John Sweeney as AFL-CIO president. Liz Shuler, formerly the executive assistant to Electrical Workers President Ed Hill, was elected secretary-treasurer. At 39, she is the youngest person ever to become an officer of the AFL-CIO.
Arlene Holt Baker, who was approved two years ago to fill out the term of retiring Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson, became the first African-American to be elected to one of the federation’s three highest offices.
“Even though the face of the American labor movement has changed, one thing hasn’t: It’s that the surest, the fastest, most effective way to lift workers and our families into the middle-class is with the strength, that can only, only come with a union contract,” Trumka told delegates.
“Even though it wasn’t the labor movement that got us into this mess, we are the people who are going to lead America out of it. But we can only do it if we seize this moment—we can only do it if we act now—we can only do it if we provide the leadership working Americans are demanding.”
The federation hopes that leadership will come in part from Shuler, who projects a new face for the labor movement. Touted for her political savvy, Shuler pledged to reach out to younger workers.
“We know what young people are capable of—we worked side by side with them last year in a political campaign to make real change happen,” she said. “We watched them organize and spread a message of hope to the American people, and we’ve got to build on those bonds of solidarity that were forged in the heat of the campaign.”
Holt Baker, a former AFSCME organizer, said, “I believe with every fiber in my body that our movement must keep on ensuring that millions of workers in this country have the dignity and respect they deserve. That means good wages, decent pensions, affordable health care and continuous job training. If we don’t fight for these securities, who will?”
Speaking out on major issues
If the new leadership of the AFL-CIO signified change in a federation that traces its roots to 1881, so did several resolutions adopted by delegates. They require the AFL-CIO at all levels to set concrete goals for expanding diversity in leadership and to increase its commitment to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and workers with disabilities at all levels.
“When we open doors, we build for the future,” said Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts. “There are workers who are not in this movement who will tell us they never met us, but they know us. The question is what will they know about us? What I want them to know about us is that the door is wide open.”
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers President Greg Junemann, who is legally blind, said, “I’m lucky to be in a union that doesn’t care about your eyesight but your clarity of vision.”
Delegates also condemned the exploitation of immigrant workers and called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that protects worker rights and provides a path to citizenship. Steelworkers President Leo Gerard said the best protection against exploitation is a strong union movement –in the United States and across the world.
In other resolutions, delegates called on the Obama administration to boost the economy with another stimulus package and an even greater investment in green jobs. They backed President Obama on his health care proposal – including a public option to provide an alternative to private insurance – while also voicing unanimous support for the enactment of single payer health coverage for all Americans.
“Our nation should provide a single high standard of comprehensive care for all,” the resolution states.
For more information
Read the resolutions and learn more at the AFL-CIO convention website
View all Workday coverage of the AFL-CIO convention