The AFL-CIO, in partnership with the German Embassy, will host a discussion between AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and his German counterpart DGB President Reiner Hoffmann on the role of unions in shaping the work of the future. In both countries, ongoing changes in the workplace and the economy present challenges as well as opportunities for the labor movement and society.

In 2015, the Hans Böckler Foundation, the think tank of the German Trade Union Confederation, established the Commission on the Work of the Future. The commission’s final report looked at how the digital transformation, demographic change and migration might change work and alter existing relations of economic power. The report also made a series of concrete proposals to make work better for as many people as possible. The German Trade Union Confederation is engaged in a dialogue with the German Labor Ministry and German employers around the "Work 4.0" Initiative.

In 2017, the AFL-CIO launched its own Commission on the Future of Work and Unions to look at how working people and the labor movement can prosper and thrive in the face of dramatic changes in the workplace and the economy. The commission will examine ongoing and projected changes in the economy and the workplace. It also will consider the changes and strategies necessary for unions and the AFL-CIO to build power for workers and our families.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Emily Haber, @GermanAmbUSA
German Ambassador to the United States

Reiner Hoffmann, @dgb_news
President, German Trade Union Confederation (DGB)

Liz Shuler, @lizshuler
Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO

Richard Trumka, @RichardTrumka
President, AFL-CIO

MODERATOR

Stephen Heuser, @sfheuser
Editorial Director, Ideas and Features, Politico

This event is co-hosted by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.