Workers Unite at the AFL-CIO Convention

APWU leaders and delegates proudly attended the AFL-CIO convention from June 7-10 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. APWU President Jonathan Smith, Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth “Liz” Powell, Central Region Coordinator Amy Puhalski, Western Region Coordinator Omar Gonzalez, Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard, Human Relations Director Daleo Freeman, and Research and Education Director Joyce Robinson represented APWU National. Minnesota State President Greg Teigland and APWU Young Member Committee Representative Eric Chornoby attended as delegates from the area.

In the exhibit hall, the conversations were just as meaningful as anything happening on the main floor. President Smith stopped to talk with union members from across the country, asking them about their union’s fights, and telling them about our campaign to protect Vote-by-Mail.  Postal workers have fought for years to protect public mail service, have safer workplaces, and stop workplace harassment. At the convention of 65 affiliated unions representing workers across entirely different trades, President Smith found a common thread. We are all fighting to win fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job. These fights belong to all of us. That recognition, that our struggles are connected, is what gives a gathering like this its real weight.

Through sessions and workshops, workers shared strategies and inspirational stories, like how organizing drives worked to recruit new members, how to talk to coworkers who are skeptical about joining their unions, and how to stand strong when management pushes back.

What the AFL-CIO shared through the week showed something that corporations and anti-union forces spend enormous resources and money trying to obscure: when working people stand united, we are extraordinarily powerful. Together we can shape what our economy looks like and who it is built for.

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