Podcast SAG-AFTRA with the president of the AFL-CIO looks to the future of the labor movement

SAG-AFTRA celebrates next Labor Day weekend with a podcast featuring Liz Shuler, president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO, representing 57 affiliated unions, including SAG-AFTRA, and workers of all postal codes of the country.

According to Schuler, the future of organized work is bright.

“We are stronger together,” Schuler said on the podcast. “With the AFL-CIO affiliated union, you bring all the breadth, scale and power of 12.5 million workers into each other’s struggles. And SAG-AFTRA is ahead of many. Many people think, “Oh well, SAG-AFTRA, are they really working hard?” Of course, because you work in an industry like Hollywood or are in the television industry, you have exactly the same problems that people in other professions have: health and safety concerns, discrimination and harassment issues, and make sure you do so. You get paid the same for your work.

“This means that we need to unite more voices and solidarity from the people to support each other in these struggles. And I think of the work you (SAG-AFTRA) did during the pandemic, like being at the forefront of creating safety standards that the rest of us can learn from. This is just a small example of what we do to help each other. And this is a great example of how we show ourselves to each other ”.

You can listen to the podcast, co-hosted by SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Ben Whiteher. here.

“And I think in any industry where there are workers and managers,” said Crabtree-Ireland, “there is always a need to balance the power of management. And I think no one has found a better or more effective way to do it.” the workers act together. And our members are workers, of course. Anyone who has ever been to a cinema, a television room, an editorial office or a recording studio knows this. “

Emphasizing the interconnectedness of unionized workers, Schuler pointed to labor representatives who joined the picket lines during SAG-AFTRA’s 10-month strike against Bartle Bogle Hegarty’s advertising agency in 2018-2019 and SAG-AFTRA members AFTRA which came out last year. Support the striking ice cream cone workers in New Mexico who demand a dollar per hour wage. According to him, this is a great example of how we are stronger together.

Reflecting on the historical benefits unions realized for union and non-union workers, such as the five-day work week, paid vacation and child labor laws, Whitehear noted that the AFL-CIO and SAG-AFTRA are in a position to unique to meet the challenges that workers will face in the future. One way to do this, she noted, is through its annual Workforce Innovation and Technology Summit, which is a joint partnership between SAG-AFTRA and AFL-CIO, which she said “keep looking to the future.”

“I know you have been quite active in SAG-AFTRA on these issues,” said Schuler. “And I know that there is a committee in your union that is really taking it first, as they say, and that is stepping in because technology has impacted your industry probably more than any other industry. If you think about evolution and where we are going from here, it has been a great opportunity for us in the trade union movement to partner with SAG-AFTRA at this summit on workforce innovation and technology so that we can access the best ideas. The latest strategies on how to make technology work to make it work for workers. What are the limits we should place on our contracts and be able to share them with the rest of the labor movement?

“So that’s what it’s about as a collaboration. This is a partnership for the future because we know highly skilled union workers are what our economy needs as technology disrupts our jobs and the terrain keeps changing beneath our feet. But we’ve been there before. The labor movement has constantly evolved and changed as technology has changed over the past hundred years, frankly. So the trick here is that as new jobs emerge, we want to make sure the trade union movement is the center of gravity to help workers overcome these changes, help them improve skills and find that path to the next opportunity and make sure that the jobs are coming, there are well-paid union jobs. So we look forward to working with you at the next summit. I know we also collaborate on the Consumer Electronics Show, which gives us an idea of ​​what the next innovations will look like and how we can make them work for workers. “

“It was a lot of fun doing it with the AFL-CIO,” said Crabtree-Ireland. “And speaking on behalf of SAG-AFTRA, we have certainly learned a lot and seen that things have moved forward thanks to this type of investment. So it was a great collaboration and I noticed that some of the other unions that attended when we did these shows really benefited from the experience. “

Schuler also noted that the AFL-CIO has a technology institute to develop knowledge about the future of work and how to unite the trade union movement around emerging technologies. “So we’re trying to use the workforce to really shape technology and innovation for workers,” she told SAG-AFTRA leaders. “I don’t need to tell you how the pandemic has accelerated the use of technology at work. And we’re seeing all kinds of reports on how workers are being supervised. I’ve even heard of this new technology called “mouse movement” for people who work from home and monitor their employers’ keystrokes and computer usage every 10 minutes.

“So we have to take the lead in how to have a voice at the table; How do we include a worker perspective as we build these new ways of working in new and different ways? So we believe organized labor must be at the heart of these transformations to make sure we have a role to play in shaping that future, because we are truly the only force in the country, if you think about it, that has enough power. . Let’s make sure workers can create that future and shape it together for our union members, but also for the rest of American workers. “

Pointing to a new Gallup poll that found 71 percent of US publicly supporting unions, Schuler said it’s the highest level since 1965 and an increase from 68 percent last year. “So the trend is going nowhere but for workers to wake up to their power,” she said. “And they say, ‘We are going through this pandemic.’ We have our own country with this. We were often on the front lines as essential workers. One day we were called indispensable and the next we were treated as expendable. Businesses are now making billions of dollars from this pandemic. Could be better. As if we had to stop and check ourselves. As if we could no longer sit down and accept it. We have the power to stand up and ask for better. ‘

“And this is where all this organization comes into play that we are seeing across the country. Workers find their voice. I’m standing. They take risks. They are about to strike. They direct the strikes and pickets. And you know, even “resign silently” as we read in the newspapers. So I think it’s time. This is the turning point of the labor movement. How can we harness the energy, momentum and all these positive feelings people have about unions in real union growth?

“The stars seem to have aligned,” he said. “And if we don’t take this moment, I don’t know when we will.” We have a union administration in the White House, the most union president of our life. We have a community with us: 71% approve of connections. We have hardworking people who stand up and are ready to take risks.

“And that’s what gives me great hope, great joy, to be a leader right now and to be with you and your members to show that the trade union movement is more relevant, vibrant, bold, modern and inclusive than ever.” And our doors are open. We are truly the only institution that can bring people together to bring about the change workers need in this economy. Because you know, it doesn’t work for all workers. If we want to bridge this gap of inequality, if we want to fight for equal pay for women, against discrimination and harassment, for civil and human rights, then we have to do it with a strong and strong trade union movement. people.

“And that’s what we think the AFL-CIO and our unions will be for the future and the next generation, and for the work ahead.” So this is a very exciting time to be in the labor movement. “