Unions of Working People Working Together for a Better Life in North Carolina
The North Carolina State American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (NC State AFL-CIO) is the largest association of unions of working people in North Carolina, representing over a hundred thousand members, working together for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working people.
The contributions of all local unions in North Carolina are vital to sustaining our state’s labor movement. Each local’s views and energy in addressing concerns common to all workers are what our movement needs.
We are a democratic organization, governed by a constitution, and accountable to our member unions. The affiliated membership elects our leadership – one full-time officer and an executive board representative of unions across North Carolina. The programs we undertake and the services we offer are also determined by our membership.
What We’re About
The mission of the NC State AFL-CIO is to build a bigger, more politically powerful, anti-racist labor movement to win victories for North Carolina working families. To do that, our state federation and central labor councils must focus on these areas of work:
- Grow the movement by supporting internal organizing, new external organizing, and the broader worker fight-back including efforts to raise wages, strengthen our freedom to organize, and increase public support for unions.
- Strengthen and broaden the movement by building solidarity across racial lines and incorporating the fight for racial justice in all our work.
- Engage and mobilize our leaders, our members, and community allies by communicating, educating, and activating around policy issues, political campaigns, and union fights.
- Build independent political power for working people by driving a pro-worker legislative agenda, electing pro-worker candidates including our own members to office, holding elected officials accountable, and winning policies on all levels to help working people.
To achieve our goal, the “we” must be all of us. A more powerful movement is a leader-full movement. If all of us work together, we can build a movement that is constantly growing and fully inclusive, a movement that is big enough and bold enough to set the agenda and drive our politics, a movement unafraid to hold our politicians and our own leaders accountable, a movement with the power to make this state a better place for ALL working people whether white, Black, or brown.
