Shannon Lederer

As director of immigration policy for the AFL-CIO, Shannon Lederer works with union affiliates and allies in all sectors of the labor movement to develop and advance policies that promote workers' rights and shared prosperity. Since she first began working with brave Filipino teachers who had been trafficked into jobs in U.S. public schools, she recognized that we cannot expect to lift labor standards in our country until all people working here are assured fundamental rights and protections.  In her 17 years in the labor movement, Lederer has focused extensively on efforts to reform our abusive guest-worker programs and regulate the international labor recruitment industry. She also has worked closely with global unions to develop cross-border strategies to more effectively represent and defend workers in a migratory labor context. She has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Northwestern University and a Master of Science in union leadership and administration from the University of Massachusetts.