IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger will serve as a member of the newly-established AFL-CIO Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice. Convened by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, the commission will conduct hearings across the country to gather information from local leaders and analyze the ways racism weakens the collective power of all working people.
Current cities designated for the hearings include Cleveland, OH, Boston, MA, Alameda, CA and Minneapolis, MN. Additional cities will be added.
An additional goal of the commission is to develop a curriculum for the AFL-CIO, affiliate unions and constituency groups that will facilitate a constructive conversation on racial anxieties, income disparities and the current radicalized political climate.
“One glance at any daily newspaper tells you that race and color are still being used to divide working people in America,” said Buffenbarger. “From suppression of voting rights to unequal treatment before the law, many Americans are routinely and deliberately denied their rights as U.S. citizens. I look forward to working with the commission to illuminate and address this ugly reality.”
