“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.

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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. 

“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!”

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.

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. 

We've been talking with you for months about how we build a robust movement for working people, and now these ideas are coming together to be discussed at the AFL-CIO's 2013 quadrennial convention Sept. 8–11 in Los Angeles, in the form of resolutions and action sessions. 

Faced with a misleading, anti-union media report and continuing attacks by a right-wing foundation against Trade Adjustment Assistance, union activists in Seattle are defending the program as a productive and worthwhile effort to help small businesses build their exports and assist displaced workers obtain career counseling, retraining and extended health care benefits during their job search.

To many people, it is almost obscene that the CEO of McDonald’s, for instance, gets a compensation package worth $13.8 million a year; a giant raise from his 2011 pay of $4.1 million, a pay level that equals 915 full-time, full-year minimum wage workers at McDonald’s. If pay truly reflected the productivity of workers, then presumably if 915 McDonald’s workers went on strike, he would be able to fill in and do their work.