What does a Labor Council do?

By Fabrizio Sasso
Executive Director, Sacramento CLC

Recently, my two young nephews asked me a question that took me a minute to answer. What, they wondered, does the head of a Labor Council really do?

For that matter, what does a Labor Council do?

They are not the first to ask me those questions. Sometimes I even get asked by those in unions, and those who have made the Labor Movement central to their lives. They are good questions, because answering them reminds me—and all of us—why we care about unions and why we do this work.

Unions by their very nature are meant to represent workers at a particular worksite or employer, and often in a specific type of work. They advocate for wages and working conditions and contracts that allow those employees to live with dignity and safety.

But it is Labor Councils that bring all those unions together in a region, and ultimately, across the country. Without our network of Labor Councils, each of those unions would be on their own, and we all know we are stronger together.

The Councils give unions a way to build solidarity and community between them, which ultimately increases the power of each union individually and the Labor Movement as a whole. That’s the heart of solidarity, and we all know it’s crucial to what we do. Showing up and standing up for each other is the core of our power. My job, as head of this Labor Council, is to steward that solidarity, making sure each union has its say and that we work together to protect one another and for the collective good.

It’s a fluid job that depends on the needs of the moment. Sometimes, it’s about making sure we’re at picket lines or getting the word out about a strike. Sometimes it’s about politics, working to make sure we elect leaders who respect us and understand the importance of working people. Sometimes it’s about lending a hand, performing community service to make sure everyone in our region is taken care of, whether they are in a union or not. I juggle a lot of priorities in this job and wear many different hats. It’s all work that I am privileged to do and thankful for every day.

Because all of it leads to something greater. We are building and maintaining this beautiful, powerful energy that is the Labor Movement in the United States.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “All that harms labor is treason to America,” and truer words have never been spoken. The working women and men of this country are our strength, our dignity, and the foundation of what really makes our country great. And the Labor Movement is the protector of those ideals. Everything I do and that this Council does is about building community around the Labor Movement. Because when you have a strong community, the kind that shows up for each other because they want to, not because they have to, you have power and you have a force to be reckoned with.

So what I told my nephews, and what I hope you all know, is that my job is to show up every day and give 100% to make life better for every person in my community by making Labor stronger.

It’s work I’m proud of, and work that never feels like a chore.

This is my community, and yours, and we’re in this movement together, building Labor into an even greater force for my nephews and all the generations yet to come.