Shuler and Redmond reelected to lead AFL-CIO

The AFL-CIO grew to represent nearly 15 million working people during Shuler and Redmond’s first term

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 9, 2026) — Delegates to the AFL-CIO’s 30th Constitutional Convention voted to reelect President Liz Shuler (IBEW) and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond (Steelworkers) to continue leading the largest labor federation in the country, representing millions of working people in diverse industries across the U.S.

“Serving as president of the AFL-CIO has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am deeply moved to be reelected for a second term,” said Shuler in a statement announcing reelection. “My union story is like so many others, growing up in a working-class family that scraped to get by from paycheck to paycheck until our lives were changed by an IBEW apprenticeship.”

“I am extraordinarily grateful for the trust that this movement has placed in me, and I will continue to lead our federation in delivering that union difference and changing lives for working families across this country just like mine,” Shuler continued.

First elected in 2022, their ascension to lead the AFL-CIO is historic; Shuler as the first woman elected president of the AFL-CIO, and Redmond is the highest-ever ranking Black labor leader.

Shuler and Redmond on the convention stage in Minneapolis. Photo: AFL-CIO

“In just two generations, my family went from Mississippi sharecroppers to living in poverty on the South Side of Chicago to me becoming the highest-ranking African American in the history of the American labor movement,” said Redmond. “At this unprecedented moment, with attacks on worker and civil rights from the most anti-labor administration in history and the wealthy and well-connected consolidating power and profit, we will be led by that history and continue their fight. I’m honored to be able to do that alongside my partner President Shuler and my union brothers and sisters.”

WSLC President April Sims and Secretary Treasurer Cherika Carter lauded Shuler and Redmond’s reelection from the convention floor in Minneapolis.

Sims and Carter at the 2026 AFL-CIO Convention in Minneapolis.

“Under the leadership of President Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Redmond, the U.S. labor movement has made significant strides over the past four years,” said Sims. “From growing the AFLCIO’s ranks to nearly 15 million workers to leading the fight to defend working people, it’s clear that our movement is in good hands with their vision for building worker power.”

On Monday, the AFL-CIO also announced the federation had reached an organizing milestone set in 2022. That year, they set a goal to organize at least one million new workers in the coming decade; they surpassed that goal after just over three years. Now, the AFL-CIO is committing to organizing at least two million more workers by 2032.

“President Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Redmond are the leaders we need as support for organized labor is the highest we’ve seen in generations,” said Carter. “Their commitment to expanding organizing capacity and continuing to grow the labor movement positions us well to meet the moment and win for working people.”

The AFL-CIO is laser-focused on continuing to grow the number of union members in the U.S. during Shuler and Redmond’s second term. On the first day of the convention, the federation shared plans to coordinate across the movement to challenge union-busting corporations, align organizing and political work to make worker organizing a core goal anywhere labor supports candidates, and expand and develop local organizing strategies, deepening alignment with community organizations and delivering tangible wins for working people through coordination with international unions and the AFL-CIO’s state and local labor federations.