67th Annual Convention Ends with Union Members Ready to Deliver Victories in November
Press Release
For Immediate Release September 20, 2024
Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, [email protected]; Sydney Roberts, [email protected]
67th Annual North Carolina State AFL-CIO Convention Ends with Union Members Ready To Deliver Victories for Pro-Worker Candidates In November
Raleigh, NC – At noon on Friday September 20, the 67th Annual Convention of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO adjourned after a day and a half of electrifying speakers, thoughtful discussion on the biggest issues facing working people today, and a powerful recommitment to ensure pro-worker candidates win big this November. From Labor Commissioner and Governor to President of the United States, working people are the ones who will determine this election. And the stakes couldn’t be higher: our freedom to organize, our critical workplace protections and our power in the economy will be decided at our local voting precincts. Which is why after programming came to a close, we wrapped up our convention with a massive canvassing shift that proves just how ready North Carolina’s labor movement is to get out the union vote on Election Day.
Our convention theme this year was “Count Me In...To Stand Up, Turn Out, Win Together!” And with the power of our unrivaled grassroots canvassing operation, the commitment of working North Carolinians across industries, and the unflinching resolve of our members, the NC State AFL-CIO is ready to elect policymakers who will be true champions for working families.
“Together, we all do better. That’s the message of hope working people need to hear,” said NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan. “Together, a better and brighter future is possible. A future where our democracy is priceless and campaigns are not for sale.”
“We need to make sure we show up and show out over the next 46 days or else we’re facing an uncertain future,” said Roxanne Brown, International Vice President of the United Steelworkers. “This state is so important, and y’all are so important to making sure we win on November 5th.”
“Who do you want to be the advocate for workers in your state,” asked Braxton Winston, a union member and hourly worker running for Commissioner of Labor. “A worker like you or your boss’ attorney who cozies up to Mark Robinson?”
“They’re experts in dividing people, and we’re experts at uniting them,” said International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) president Matthew Loeb. “We derive power from each other. This country belongs to the workers, and we’re taking it!”
“We need to make sure we elect people who support working families,” said Roy Cooper, who received a warm welcome to chants of ‘Thank you, Roy’ for his last time addressing the state AFL-CIO as Governor. “We need to elect Kamala Harris, Josh Stein, and Braxton Winston. Everything I’ve fought for and care about is on the ballot – our public schools, working people, protecting our democracy.”
“We all know things are tough, but the people of North Carolina are always worth fighting for, and our freedoms are always worth fighting for,” said Josh Stein, our endorsed candidate to succeed Roy Cooper. “Friends, our freedoms are on the line this November. The choice in this election could not be clearer.”
“Workers in North Carolina and across the country are realizing there is a better life out there, and that it’s better in a union,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who noted that public support of unions has risen to levels not seen in sixty years. “We have the momentum, all we need to do is get it done!”
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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred twenty-five thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working people.