For Immediate Release Contact: Alison Omens: 202-341-7263
New AFL-CIO Leader Outlines Vision for New Progressive Economy;
Job Creation, Health
Care and Opportunity for All
AFL-CIO Convention Elects New Team
Election ushers in
new generation of leaders
(Pittsburgh, Sept. 16) With a
pledge to aggressively promote a new progressive economic agenda that focuses on
jobs, health care and opportunity for all, newly elected AFL-CIO President
Richard L. Trumka said he will lead the labor movement to rebuild the middle
class and to make sure elected officials know, “the consequences of turning
their backs on working people whose votes put them into office.”
Delegates to the 26th
constitutional convention of the AFL-CIO today elected Trumka as the fifth
president of the 11.5-million member federation. He is joined in top AFL-CIO
leadership ranks by two women. Liz Shuler, at 39 the youngest person ever to
become an executive officer of the AFL-CIO, was elected Secretary-Treasurer and
Arlene Holt Baker, the highest ranking African American in the labor movement,
was re-elected Executive Vice President. All three were elected by acclamation.
Trumka previously served as AFL-CIO
secretary-treasurer. Shuler is the former executive assistant to IBEW president
Edwin Hill.
In his acceptance speech, Trumka
pledged to begin working to craft a progressive economic agenda that would put
working people back on track—“an agenda that spells out our expectations of the
men and women we support – and the consequences of turning their backs on
working people whose votes put them into office.” Describing his vision for the
labor movement, Trumka asked:
What kind of labor movement do we
need? A younger labor movement. A greener labor movement. A labor movement
that can project its power – to defend workers anywhere in the world. A labor
movement that’s organizing the unorganized. A labor movement that’s winning
health care for every family – and, yes, a labor movement that stands by its
friends, punishes its enemies, and challenges those who can’t decide whose
side they’re on.
Trumka said that the labor movement
will fight for labor law and health care reform, including a strong public
health insurance option, described his plans for a youth summit early next year,
and pledged to hire 1,000 professional organizers to ensure that when workers
want to form a union, they can.
Shuler and Holt Baker spoke out
strongly for an economy that works for everyone and pledged to create a more
open and diverse labor movement.
“We need to become a labor movement
with a sense of humor,” Shuler said, promising to listen to young people.
Holt Baker echoed that sentiment,
saying, “I believe our mission is to create a new generation of opportunities
for millions of young people like those I’ve met. A new generation of good jobs,
right here in America.”
In addition to the top three officers, convention delegates elected 51 delegates who will make up the new AFL-CIO Executive Council: Mark H. Ayers, R. Thomas Buffenbarger, Elizabeth Bunn, William Burrus, Larry Cohen, Ann Converso, Rose Ann DeMoro, Patrick D. Finley, Rogelio “Roy” A. Flores, John J. Flynn,
Patricia Friend, M. B. “Mike” Futhey,
Jr., John Gage, Warren George, Leo W. Gerard, Ron Gettelfinger, Vincent Giblin,
Michael Goodwin, Edwin D. Hill, William Hite, Richard P. Hughes, Jr., Joseph J.
Hunt, Frank Hurt, Newton Jones, Gregory J. Junemann, D. Michael Langford, James
C. Little, Matthew D. Loeb, William Lucy, Robert McEllrath, Gerald W. McEntee,
Capt. John Prater, Roberta Reardon, Fred Redmond, Laura Rico, Clyde Rivers,
Cecil Roberts, Frederic V. Rolando, Alan Rosenberg, John Ryan, Michael Sacco,
Robert A. Scardelletti, Harold Schaitberger, DeMaurice Smith, Robbie Sparks,
Michael J. Sullivan, Baldemar Velasquez, Randi Weingarten, James A. Williams,
Nancy Wohlforth, and Diann Woodard.
Starting Friday, Trumka, Shuler, and
Holt Baker will hit the road to hear from working people about their priorities
and rally around a new progressive agenda. Together, they’ll visit Cleveland,
Dayton, Youngstown and Akron in Ohio, Atlanta and New York City before traveling
back to Pittsburgh for the G-20 meetings next week.
The AFL-CIO convention concludes
Thursday in Pittsburgh.
The full texts of the speeches are available at www.aflcio.org.