AFL-CIO convention spotlights strength, solidarity of Minnesota’s labor movement

June 7, 2026 by

Minnesotans who joined the solidarity efforts during Operation Metro Surge take the stage on Day 1 of the convention. (AFL-CIO photo)

Union leaders and activists from across the U.S. are gathering in the Twin Cities this week for the 30th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention, the American labor movement’s biggest event.

The national labor federation picked Minneapolis as the site of its four-day convention well before a violent surge of federal agents in Minnesota drew worldwide outrage over the winter. But among the first orders of business on Day 1 was a recognition of local unions’ role in organizing resistance to the occupation.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, reelected to a five-year term later in the day, turned the Convention Center stage over to three local leaders, Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham, St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Kera Peterson and Minneapolis RLF President Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou.

The presidents offered visiting delegates an overview of unions’ response to Operation Metro Surge – and the work that prepared Minnesota’s labor movement to meet the moment with solidarity.

The federal occupation saw unions raise funds for mutual aid and legal defense of detained members. Unions tapped into local solidarity networks, hosting training sessions for constitutional observers and preparing members to respond if ICE showed up on their worksite. And union members not only showed up in the streets as observers and demonstrators, but dozens of activists trained to become “union peacekeepers,” who kept marches safe and orderly.

“They thought Minnesota nice meant we would stand by quietly while federal agents disappeared our friends, neighbors and co-workers,” Burnham said. “But they mistook kindness for weakness. They invaded a winter people in winter, and our solidarity froze them in their tracks.”

(AFL-CIO photo)

Delegates on the convention floor rose for a standing ovation as Burnham welcomed anyone in the room who joined the solidarity efforts in Minnesota onto the stage.

“Now they know Americans are not afraid,” Burnham said. “They know if they send ICE into any of your communities, you will fight just as hard.”

Shuler thanked Minnesotans for their “sacrifice and resilience” before returning to the business of the convention – committee reports, elections and a roll call of affiliated unions, which included the 2-million-member Service Employees (SEIU) for the first time in 21 years.

The AFL-CIO also recognized seven new affiliates representing professional athletes, including WNBA players, who this year won historic gains in a new union contract, and Major League Baseball players, who are in a bitter round of negotiations with owners intent on suppressing their pay with a salary cap.

The theme for the 2026 convention is “With You, It’s Better in a Union.” Organizers expected between 1,500 and 2,000 delegates and guests to attend the four-day affair.

Delegates from the AFL-CIO’s 65 affiliated unions and from state and local labor councils come together at conventions to conduct required business and chart the future of the labor movement.

The event will feature prominent guest speakers and expert panelists to discuss issues facing workers and their families, from artificial intelligence to the rising cost of living.

AFL-CIO Minneapolis convention, Sunday June 7, 2026. Afternoon plenary. Photo: Jay Mallin
AFL-CIO Minneapolis convention, Sunday, June 7, 2026. Photos: Jay Mallin

The convention put a spotlight on Minnesota again on Day 1 when the AFL-CIO recognized the state’s labor movement as one of two recipients of the 2025 Meany-Kirkland Human Rights Award, celebrating the most powerful examples of solidarity in action from across the world.

Minnesota shares the award, presented during a dinner reception, with the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).

The federation’s executive board announced winners of the award in March. Its announcement cited Minnesota union activists’ “courage and commitment to fighting for democratic rights” during the surge that began last December.

Peterson, president of the St. Paul RLF, said the convention was an “exciting opportunity for our nation’s union movement to find inspiration and advance the coalition work that will meet the challenges ahead for working people across the country.”

“The world watched as Minnesotans joined together last winter to protect our neighbors and defend our democracy, and local unions and federated labor bodies, through their organizing work, helped build power and solidarity to meet that moment,” she added.

Both Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond were re-elected on Day 1 after no other nominations emerged from the floor.

Watch video of the convention’s proceedings at aflcio.org.

— Michael Moore, Union Advocate editor

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Teachers will make anti-bullying law a priority at Capitol next year

December 6, 2013 by

i_heart_safe_schools_cta_bannerAs the 2013 Legislative Session drew to a close in May, supporters of a bill to strengthen Minnesota’s anti-bullying laws made one last push, urging their state senators to vote on the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, which had already won approval in the House.

The session gaveled to a close before senators could take that vote, but members of Education Minnesota, the statewide educators’ union, will help kick off a campaign next week to make sure the anti-bullying bill gets a vote in 2014.

Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said members have been vocal in support of efforts to prevent bullying in schools, prompting union leaders to declare the bill, which would give Minnesota the nation’s strongest anti-bullying laws, a top priority for the upcoming session.

“Our members know that in order for students to do well, we need safe and welcoming schools,” Specht said. “We’re stepping up our efforts to make sure the bill passes and gets over the finish line.”

That effort kicks off Sunday afternoon with a “call to action” at Minneapolis South High School, where students, parents, educators and community members will unite in support of the Safe and Supportive Schools Act. [Click here to view the event page on Facebook.]

On Monday, a national day of action in support of public education, Education Minnesota will co-host a press conference and rally in support of the anti-bullying bill at St. Paul Central High School. [Click here to view the event page on Facebook.]

Having teachers play a visible role in efforts to pass the Safe and Supportive Schools Act is critical, OutFront Minnesota Executive Director Monica Meyer said. Her organization gathered a coalition of supporters to push for new anti-bullying laws in 2009, and it has since attracted more than 100 member organizations, including Education Minnesota and the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

“Teachers are looking at how to be proactive in addressing the bullying they are seeing, and how to create an environment in the schools that will help all students thrive,” Meyer said.

In a 2010 survey of Minnesota students, 13 percent reported that they were bullied at least monthly. A 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Education rated Minnesota’s anti-bullying law the weakest in the nation.

But parents and teachers don’t need statistics to know bullying is a problem.

“We know anecdotally, and we hear stories everyday from students and parents and teachers who see firsthand the bullying that exists,” Meyer said. “There’s a real hunger out there from Minnesotans to have the Legislature pass something that’s proactive about making our schools safe.”

Supporters say the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, co-authored by Sen. Scott Dibble and Rep. Jim Davnie, would replace the weakest anti-bullying law in the country with the strongest.

Instead of leaving bullying policy up to individual school districts, the bill would establish uniform policies in accordance with the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Doing so would protect all students, Meyer said, from discrimination or harassment “on the basis of anything from race, ethnicity or disability to immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or religious beliefs.”

“It’s a comprehensive policy,” Meyer added. “You really know that a lot of students can see themselves in it. We want to make sure they know that they are protected.”

The bill also would provide training opportunities, a key provision for educators.

“It speaks to training and resources for school staff, students and volunteers around bullying prevention and intervention,” she said.

Teachers plan to echo events in the metro Sunday and Monday across Greater Minnesota, Specht added. Education Minnesota members will be circulating petitions and having conversations with their school board members and lawmakers before the Legislature reconvenes Feb. 25.

“We’re going to show lawmakers how broad based the support is for passing this legislation,” Meyer said.

[Click here to sign a petition showing your support for safe schools!]

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