AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler delivered a powerful video message to delegates at the American Federation of School Administrators’ 17th Constitutional Convention in Las Vegas, urging them to continue leading the fight for workers, students, and public education at a critical time for the labor movement.
Shuler’s last-minute message came after AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redman, who was scheduled to address the convention in person, was forced to step away due to a family emergency.
“Hello, AFSA family,” Shuler began. “As you gather for your 17th Constitutional Convention, I’m so excited to send this message of solidarity and bring you greetings from the nearly 15 million members of the AFL-CIO across 63 unions.” She praised AFSA President Leonard Pugliese, Secretary-Treasurer Mark Cannizzaro, and President Emeritus Ernie Logan, calling AFSA members “relentless fighters for our schools, educators, staff, children, and families.”
Shuler criticized the current administration’s policies, which she said strip resources from students and undermine public education. “They talk about freeing us from tyranny, and then they ban books and tell us we can’t teach Black history in this country,” she said.
“They tell us they care about our students while absolutely gutting the funding that our young people and their families rely on… It’s unconscionable.”
But she also struck an optimistic note, pointing to record levels of public support for unions, particularly among young workers. “Seventy percent of Americans approve of unions, and almost 90% of young people under the age of 30 support unions because of the work you are doing,” Shuler told delegates.
Highlighting AFSA’s recent organizing wins—including new locals in San Diego and Chula Vista, CA, affiliations in Montgomery County, MD, and Arlington, VA, and a groundbreaking election victory for 1,400 school leaders in Fairfax, VA—Shuler said AFSA is “showing the entire country why it’s better in a union.”
She also credited AFSA for leading on emerging challenges like artificial intelligence, ensuring new technologies are used to support—not replace—educators. Shuler underscored victories such as the successful campaign in Chicago to win collective bargaining rights for principals, calling it a “true game-changer.”
Looking ahead, Shuler previewed the AFL-CIO’s It’s Better in a Union! nationwide bus tour. “Every time labor has been knocked down, we get back up fighting, don’t we?” she said. “If we do the work right now… we’ll come out of this with a chance to rewrite the rules, to push for the kind of change we have dreamed about for a long, long time.”
Shuler closed by urging AFSA leaders to continue rallying their communities and modeling the solidarity that has fueled union growth nationwide. “Let’s fight with solidarity, let’s show people all over the country that a better path forward is possible, and let’s go win the future we all deserve.”
