Above photo: Thousands rally at the Minnesota State Capitol for the May Day Rally For Immigrant and Workers’ Rights Thursday, May 1, 2025. Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer.
Our shared vision rejects the false choice between economic growth and worker rights.
Recognizing that strong workers and strong communities are the foundation of a strong economy.
On this Labor Day, as the Trump administration systematically attacks workers and undercuts labor rights, it is not enough for the labor movement to oppose what is happening.
While resistance is essential, we must also chart a path forward — one that clearly articulates what we stand for and the future we are building. A future where all workers — working people of all identities, backgrounds, education, abilities, size, expression and status — feel safety, security and solidarity from their union and labor movement.
Local union members recently created an agenda called “Our Shared Vision for Workers’ Rights and Economic Justice” that is the result of listening to workers who understand firsthand what working people need to thrive.
Working people are clear on what a just economy looks like. With this agenda, we have concrete steps to achieve it. Our shared vision rejects the false choice between economic growth and worker rights, recognizing that strong workers and strong communities are the foundation of a strong economy.
The vision addresses urgent realities facing workers today. Despite increased productivity year after year, working people are not sharing in the fruits of their labor. Workers across essential services burn out at unprecedented rates due to understaffing. These are symptoms of an economic system that prioritizes short-term profits over human dignity.
We call on employers to support workers and labor rights
Our agenda calls on employers to take concrete action to support their employees. Even as the federal administration takes extreme steps to strip workers of their labor rights, employers have the ability and the obligation to respect workers’ right to organize without interference and to bargain in good faith. We are demanding employers honor workers’ right to picket without disciplinary action. When labor laws are stacked against workers, striking workers need to be able to access their collective power.
We are demanding safe staffing ratios in essential institutions so workers do not have to choose between providing quality services and their own well-being. We are calling for workplaces free from immigration enforcement intimidation. We call on employers to provide workers with accessible comprehensive health care including gender-affirming care, expanded diversity and equity initiatives, and robust protection of organizing rights.
But we are not just asking — we are acting. The Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO is committed to mobilizing the labor movement to support efforts to bargain these provisions into union contracts.
Government policies should support economic justice
We are calling for a minimum wage that is actually a living wage — one that allows working people to support their families.
America’s crumbling infrastructure represents both crisis and opportunity, creating good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced while building reliable systems communities depend on. Our country needs massive investment in job-creating infrastructure programs that hire local union workers.
We need caps limiting CEO pay to sensible multiples of median worker wages. When CEOs earn hundreds of times more than their workers, it reflects priorities that value shareholder profits over people who actually do the work and create value.
Our vision includes guaranteeing universal paid time off, providing unemployment insurance for striking workers, requiring prevailing wage and labor peace agreements on publicly funded projects, transitioning to a single-payer health care system, fully funding public education and protecting due process in immigration.
At a time when many people feel disconnected from politics, public leaders seeking labor’s support must demonstrate commitment to this comprehensive vision for economic and racial justice for all working people.
This vision represents more than policy proposals — it is a framework for building a society that values the humanity, dignity and contributions of all working people. While the current administration is attacking the foundations of worker rights, we refuse to only play defense. In this critical moment, we are stepping forward with a comprehensive vision that benefits not just union members, but all working families.
We can create communities where families thrive and feel safe, where workers have power and voice and where prosperity is shared by all who contribute to our collective success.
This Labor Day, as we celebrate the contributions and dignity of working people, we offer more than recognition — we offer a path forward. This is our shared vision, this is our call to action, and this is our Labor Day commitment to building the future that we all deserve.
