On Tuesday, August 27, President Liz Shuler delivered her second State of the Unions address to a packed house of enthusiastic trade unionists and friends at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was obvious to us that this was a speech Power At Work's audience would want to hear. We are proud and pleased to be able to present it to you in its entirety. We expect you will enjoy it.
President Shuler was preceded on the stage by AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Fred Redmond who gave stirring introductory remarks. Secretary Treasurer Redmond also introduced three front-line labor leaders to talk about their successes organizing in 2024. It was a powerful lead-in to the main event: President Shuler's address.
We offer both speeches in this very special video blogcast:
Elizabeth H. Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, the democratic federation of 60 national and international unions that represent 12.5 million working people. Shuler is the first woman leader of America’s labor movement. Before being elected president in 2021, Shuler served as the AFL-CIO secretary treasurer beginning in 2009. Shuler began her career working as an organizer for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 125 in her home state of Oregon.
Fredrick D. Redmond is the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. On June 13, 2022, he was unanimously elected to the position as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of America’s labor movement. Redmond is a former steelworker who became a local union president and, in 2006, the United Steelworkers of America's international vice president for human affairs. In 2007, Redmond was elected chair of the A. Philip Randolph Institute's board of directors and, in 2021, he became president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas.
Important note: Power At Work is a nonpartisan multi-media channel that does not endorse candidates or engage in partisan politics. The AFL-CIO, by contrast, regularly endorses candidate, as it has in 2024. These speeches include partisan political content. Power At Work's presentation of these speeches does not represent an endorsement of any candidate for elected office or political party.
