AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler addressed the Foreign Policy for America Leadership Summit, advocating for a shift in American foreign policy to better serve working people. Shuler criticized past neoliberal policies and proposed a new vision based on four pillars: economic opportunity for all, a trade model prioritizing workers, worker involvement in future technologies, and recognizing that conflicts do not benefit working people.
Shuler emphasized the role of tariffs in trade policy and urged consideration of whom trade serves. She also highlighted the need for investments in critical industries alongside tariffs to ensure job growth.
She stated, “Unions have always seen tariffs as one of the tools in our trade policy tool box,” urging a move away from viewing trade as simply free trade versus protectionism.
The AFL-CIO’s Tech Institute was mentioned as an initiative to involve workers in shaping technology. Shuler stressed the importance of regulations around AI and data privacy, cautioning against deregulation that could undermine safeguards.
On global conflicts, she called for immediate ceasefires and peace efforts, noting that no conflict has ever benefited working people. She urged attendees to remember this as global tensions rise.
Shuler concluded by emphasizing the historical role of unions in championing democracy and called for policies empowering workers. “Build a mass movement in this moment, pass policies that empower us, and we will prove it again,” she said.
