St. Louis, Mo.—AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was re-elected to a third four-year term at the
federation’s national convention here Oct. 22. Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler and Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre were also re-elected, all three running unopposed. “Whether it’s political action, legislation, or collective bargaining, you’re going to see a unity from the labor movement that you haven’t seen in decades,” Trumka told a press conference before the vote. He said the federation would also draft a “workers’ bill of rights” on issues such as wages and trade agreements” that would “establish a litmus test” for candidates seeking the AFL-CIO’s endorsement. Delegates also approved resolutions calling for spending more than $1 trillion on new infrastructure; encouraging union members to run for public office; favoring “inclusion and solidarity” and rejecting “exclusion and racism”; and urging stronger rules requiring the military to buy only U.S.-made goods. Trumka told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the federation had selected St. Louis as the convention site after the Ferguson protests of 2014. On Oct. 21, when convention-center management refused to admit local Black Lives Matter protesters, delegates walked out of the building to join them, eventually working out a deal to let them in. Read more
