Liz Shuler, President of AFL-CIO is set to address delegates and guests Monday before official business begins in the opening moments of the 35th Consolidated Convention.
The AFL-CIO is composed of 65 national and international unions, including the Boilermakers union, and represents nearly 15 million workers. Shuler is the organization’s first female President and has been an actively engaged and bold champion of the labor movement from the very beginnings of her career.
According to Shuler’s bio, she believes the labor movement is the “single most powerful vehicle for progress and that unions are a central force in leading lasting societal transformations.”
Shuler was raised in a union household. Her parents both worked for Portland General Electric in Oregon, where her father, a power lineman, was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 125. Her mother was an estimator, a position that did not have union representation. Shuler’s first job after earning her degree in journalism was as an IBEW organizer. In an early role, she was hired at Local 125 to help the clerical workers organize; and there, she experienced workers empowered by joining together. Her passion for mobilizing workers to achieve economic fairness, equality and justice began to grow—and never stopped.
Shuler’s superiors took note as she led important campaigns. Without flinching, she mobilized workers to defeat industry Goliaths like Enron Corp and major legislation that would harm working people, unions or the labor movement. As she rose through the ranks at IBEW, she caught the attention of the late Richard Trumka. In his 2009 bid for AFL-CIO President, Trumka choose Shuler as his Secretary-Treasurer running mate.
Trumka and Shuler served together until his death in 2021, when she was then elected by the AFL-CIO Executive Council to assume the role of President. She was elected by acclamation at the AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in 2022 and reelected as President to another five-year term this past June.
Shuler is especially passionate about the power of unions for women, immigrants and people of color.
Read Shuler’s official AFL-CIO bio.
