In 2015, the AFL-CIO launched the Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice. Comprised of members of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council, it facilitates a broad conversation with local labor leaders around racial and economic disparities and institutional biases, and identifies ways to become more inclusive as the new entrants to the labor force diversify.
The Labor Commission engaged in labor discussions around the country, addressing racial and economic issues impacting the labor movement and offering recommendations for change. It created a safe, structured and constructive opportunity for local union leaders to discuss issues pertaining to the persistence of racial injustice today in the workforce and in their communities, and to ensure that the voices of all working people in the labor movement are heard. The results of the commission are encapsulated in this report and in the toolkit designed to facilitate discussion at the city and state levels.