As we pay tribute to the years of service AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker has given to working families, the voting rights and labor movement, we sat down with her, along with Bloomberg BNA Daily Labor Report, to talk about some of her greatest memories and her plans for the future during her retirement. 

Watch the tribute video in the post, and check out what Holt Baker had to say.

For those of you who can’t be here in Los Angeles for the AFL-CIO’s historic convention, we’re posting video highlights. Our Day 1 highlights include Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) crowd-rousing speech; the moving acceptance speech of Myrtle Wytbooi, winner of the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award; and a clip of a speech by Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, to the AFL-CIO 2013 Diversity Conference.  Click here to see all the videos.

“It is time,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said to the more than 1,600 delegates from 57 unions and allies from community partners, progressive groups and global unions, for a “new and stronger movement” for working people. In his keynote address this morning to the 2013 AFL-CIO Convention, Trumka said:

What we have done yesterday cannot limit what we do tomorrow. Now is not the time to settle for small steps. If we are going to move forward, we have to challenge ourselves….This is America. It is time we value work—not wealth, not greed—work and the people who do the work.

Today, in a culmination of months of listening sessions and reflection, the AFL-CIO announced that any U.S. worker can join the labor movement and that the labor federation will develop several new pathways for workers to join the labor movement, either through affiliate unions, AFL-CIO's community affiliate Working America, worker centers or as students. In addition to opening the labor movement to all and the commitment to building enduring community labor partnerships, the AFL-CIO passed two other important resolutions in the Monday morning session at its quadrennial convention in Los Angeles.

Welcome to the 2013 AFL-CIO Convention live blog. Comments will appear after moderation. See our comment guidelines here. You can participate in the discussion from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. PDT (11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT).

Check out the live blog after the jump. 

With the deck stacked against working people, it's more vital than ever the labor movement join forces with its community allies in a meaningful way. To achieve the goal of social and economic justice for all working families, the AFL-CIO today called for a strong commitment to building enduring partnerships with our communities. In a convention resolution, the AFL-CIO and its affiliates pledged to continue dialogue and analysis with community partnerships to create inclusive policies and programs that will strengthen our democracy and create a robust movement for working people. 

Today, the following action sessions are taking place from 12:30-2 p.m. PDT. Check out the schedule after the jump, and don't forget to live-tweet using the hashtag #aflcio13.

“If we fight, we win,” shouted Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) near the end of her keynote speech on the opening evening of the 2013 AFL-CIO Convention. “Real reform isn’t easy,” Warren said to loud applause. “Uphill battles? You bet!”

The 2013 winners of the Dreams of Jobs and Freedom Scholarship were honored today at the AFL-CIO Convention. For the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, the AFL-CIO and Union Plus awarded $300,000 in scholarships to help graduating high school seniors realize their dreams of a college education. More than 600 students applied and 60 $5,000 scholarships were awarded.

On the heels of today’s groundbreaking young worker and diversity conference, delegates to the AFL-CIO 2013 Convention reaffirmed the federation’s commitment to grow an inclusive labor movement dedicated to issues that will build strength for and share prosperity with women, young workers, people of color and LGBT workers.