In Washington, D.C., yesterday, leaders and advocates for working people came together to discuss the future of work. The occasion was the first meeting of the AFL-CIO Commission on the Future of Work and Unions. The commission was created by a resolution at the federation's 2017 convention and is designed to rethink ways of building bargaining power and providing economic security for millions of Americans.
In launching the discussion, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:
We can’t afford to sit back. No matter how far we’ve come, we can’t act like there isn’t more change ahead. It’s tempting to hang on to yesterday’s victories. We’ve certainly been guilty of resting on our laurels from time to time. But that only weakens our ability to shape what’s coming next. More than ever, it’s time to look squarely forward.
Strong unions must be at the center of the debate. Shaping the future of work...making the economy fairer for everyone...is our domain.
Here are some of the key tweets from yesterday's discussion:
Full house with hundreds of leaders coming together to consider the role of unions in the future of work #IdeasAtWork pic.twitter.com/y0zy8A3WK5
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
BREAKING: Future of Work LIVE @AFTunion @ufcw @ironworkers @MachinistsUnion @wearealpa @afgenational #ideasatwork https://t.co/bE8aE1Yqxu
— Richard L. Trumka (@RichardTrumka) May 3, 2018
The @AFLCIO Commission on the Future of Work will hold its first meeting today and it's open to the public! You can watch the live stream here: https://t.co/FedVpgjcRb #1u #FutureofWork #IdeasAtWork
— Amaya Smith (@amayajsmith) May 3, 2018
“Strong unions have to be at the center of the debate” - @AFLCIO President @RichardTrumka at the opening of the AFL-CIO’s The Future of Work event. #IdeasAtWork #1u pic.twitter.com/QzLKKPiiUT
— DPE (@DPEaflcio) May 3, 2018
“Aspiration has trumped fear and we must create a sense that strong unions equal strong communities.” @rweingarten #IdeasAtWork pic.twitter.com/lz4hjhaJVt
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
“If there’s no humans, is there a Human Resources department?” @Marc_Perrone #IdeasatWork pic.twitter.com/tUNwz43rfg
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
Technology has saved lives in construction. @TheIronworkers President Eric Dean pic.twitter.com/ZfJ04EUHyh
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
“Change is inevitable. We are not going to stop that machine.” President Tim Canoll @WeAreALPA #IdeasatWork pic.twitter.com/00uVB2Y3vJ
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
Labor movement wants to ensure advances in technology are human-centered. #ideasatwork @lizshuler pic.twitter.com/HTklmS7Oga
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
Key message from @AFLCIO Comm'n on #FutureOfWork: The goal of Labor is not to stop innovation. It is to treat workers with dignity & justice. @RichardTrumka @RWeingarten @AFTUnion @jschmittwdc @EconomicPolicy @marc_perrone @UFCW @CMURobotics #FredRolando @NALC_National pic.twitter.com/MUPvAl7DUA
— Prof Spencer Overton (@SpencerOverton) May 3, 2018
Even as certain jobs may go away, whole new sectors will grow around changing technology. @mchui #ideasatwork @McKinsey_MGI pic.twitter.com/k2HYkCayPv
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
.@aft @WeAreGAGE activist Karen Rice, @IUBAC Glen Kelly and @AFLCIONextUp talking about young workers and the #FutureofWork on @AFLCIO #IdeasAtWork panel. Worker voice and empowerment are key to changing nature of work! pic.twitter.com/Y6fLlYTHhb
— Liz Shuler (@lizshuler) May 3, 2018
"The human touch cannot be replaced."
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018
Younger folks at @APWUnational are getting active to support each other. #IdeasAtWork pic.twitter.com/plwfpMoNo2
This is just the beginning. We can harness tech to make jobs safer and lives better. @RichardTrumka wrapping up #IdeasAtWork pic.twitter.com/S73e7zZh49
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 3, 2018