"Our Chance to Make a Difference"

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)The 2013 AFL-CIO Convention unofficially got under way Saturday morning with pre-convention committee meetings at the JW Marriott in downtown Los Angeles. "There's an attack on labor around the globe and it's being driven by the one per centers," said United Steel Workers of America President Leo Gerard, noting Friday's big win over the Labor Party by the Conservative Party in Australia. Gerard chairs the  Committee on Shared Prosperity in the Global Economy, on which Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams served. "This committee has done some really extraordinary work," said Williams, "It was really inspirational to serve with them as we prepared for this convention." The Committee's resolutions -- on jobs, wages, retirement security, safe jobs, global organizing and trade will be debated on Tuesday and Wednesday. "A lot of folks want to write yet another obituary for labor," Gerard said. "But I passionately believe that this convention can be the start of a movement to change the world. It may not happen in our lifetimes but we have to lead; this is our chance to make a difference." Other major topics at the convention include AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka's "bold plan to reverse organized labor’s long slide: let millions of nonunion workers — and perhaps environmental, immigrant and other advocacy groups — join the labor federation," as the New York Times reported. Follow our live coverage @dclabor on Twitter or using the hashtag #aflcio13. photos: (top right) AFL-CIO delegates register; report/photo by Chris Garlock