The AFL-CIO Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice was established during the spring of 2015. Over the ensuing year, we met with union and community leaders in six places: Alameda County, Calif.; Birmingham, Ala.; Boston; Cleveland; Minneapolis and St. Louis. The commission's mission was to listen to our members’ concerns about public safety, the criminal justice system and economic and political exclusion, to hear from them about the changes in the labor movement they want to see, and the role they want labor to play in their lives and in their communities. 

COMMISSIONERS

Bhairavi Desai, TWA, Co-Chair
Marc Perrone, UFCW, Co-Chair
Fred Redmond, USW, Co-Chair

James Boland, Bricklayers
Tom Buffenbarger, IAMAW
J. David Cox Sr., AFGE
RoseAnn DeMoro, NNU
Cindy Estrada, UAW
Tefere Gebre, AFL-CIO
Lorretta Johnson, AFT
Jorge Ramirez, Chicago Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Lori Pelletier, Connecticut AFL-CIO
Laura Reyes, AFSCME
Cecil Roberts, UMWA
Kenneth Rigmaiden, IUPAT
Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO
Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Ana Avendano, United Way, Co-Chair
Ian Haney-Lopez, University of California at Berkeley, Co-Chair
Dorian Warren, Roosevelt Institute, Co-Chair

Judith Browne-Dianis, Advancement Project
Gregory Cendana, APALA
Bill Fletcher, Labor Scholar
Jack Hayn, IUPAT
Courtney Jenkins, APWU
Lisa Jordan, USW
Terry Melvin, New York AFL-CIO
Steven Pitts, University of California at Berkeley Labor Center
Hector Sanchez, LCLAA
Petee Talley, Ohio AFL-CIO
Robin Williams, UFCW