Promoting policies that strengthen the working and middle class is a major goal of the labor delegates who represent working people at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, N.C., this week.

Speaking at the DNC CarolinaFest on Labor Day in Charlotte, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker said:

We built this country together. Every one of us lends a hand. We do it every day. All work has value. Our work connects us to each other. And together, we are better….All work is honorable. All work has dignity and is worthy of respect. And decent pay. And good benefits. I’m talking about the work of all of us. Not just some of us. Not just the 1%. All of us. Each and every single one of us.

This morning, 300 labor delegates, including representatives from AFT, AFSCME and IBEW and the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, convened at the DNC and discussed ways to improve the lives of all workers all over the United States. Delegates received info about unions, workers' rights and a progressive policy agenda to take back to their state delegations. 

At the delegates meeting, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka reminded attendees that Labor Day, and every day, is a good opportunity to thank people for their work, and he spoke on the importance of unity:

The only way we gain the strength to make it happen is through solidarity—the connections that bind us together. That’s a lesson my father and grandfather taught me and life proved it to me—again and again....We’re strong because we care about each other—we care about others who haven’t had the same opportunities we have, about the next generation. We’re strong because we believe in shared responsibility.  

On Monday, Trumka spoke in Toledo, Ohio, to celebrate Labor Day with President Obama. Labor Day is a time to honor the U.S. workers that make this country strong. 

Trumka said:

Today, in America, the Republican candidate for president has decided to target people like you and me. He wants to target us by appealing to ugly emotions and social divisions. His goal is to pit the American people against each other, so we won’t vote about what matters....I want everybody here to volunteer this year. Register voters. Knock on doors. Fill the phone banks. Everywhere you go, and with everyone you meet, tell the truth about Mitt Romney. Take a stand against intolerance and for our American values. Say it with pride: I support democracy in America. I support working people in America. I support opportunity in America.