Holt Baker: Organize, organize and never back down

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Arlene Holt Baker

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Arlene Holt Baker, former Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast and reminisced about her experiences in organized labor.

She recalled being in attendance at Hotel Texas in Fort Worth to hear President John F. Kennedy speak. It was the last public address Kennedy made prior to his assassination. The President inspired her to want more, not just for her but for those like her.

Holt Baker discussed her pioneering career, which began as an organizer with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in Los Angeles. She became the first African American to be elected as an officer in the Democratic Party. Later in her career, Holt Baker filled out the remainder of a term held by AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson, who retired. This made her the first African American woman to hold the title of AFL-CIO Executive Vice President.

Holt Baker said she is impressed by the organizing ability of the younger generations and the AFL-CIO’s Organizing Institute. While overall membership numbers have declined, organized labor victories at Starbucks, Apple and Amazon provide hope for growth, she explained. The AFL-CIO’s Organizing Institute is learning from these victories, and will continue to drive organized labor into the future, she said.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Holt Baker: Organize, organize and never back down

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