How Redmond grew to be one of the most influential people in labor

As the America’s Work Force Union Podcast wraps up its Black History Month coverage, we have one bonus segment. Fred Redmond, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, joined us to talk about his journey from a young black man working with his father as a Steelworker in Chicago to eventually becoming the highest-ranking African-American in the history of the labor movement.

For Redmond, February was always a month of remembrance. As a black man, he often reflects on the changes that have occurred and the black men and women who have fought for equal rights in America. He discussed the discrimination his parents and grandparents faced and how unions helped change the path for his father and greatly improved Redmond’s opportunities for the future. Redmond spoke about the protections the United Steelworkers gave to his father, who worked in a steel mill.

Redmond said he got his start with a union in 1973 at the age of 19. He discussed how a dare by his father led him to get involved with his Steelworker Local and fight for a position in the union. Redmond then talked about his growth within the union and the movement that helped provide young black men like Redmond an opportunity to join the union’s leadership. It was not an easy fight, but the activism of the black members forced the union to make the changes from within. He recalled how those fights led him along the pathway to serve with the USW’s International Leadership, and he was eventually elected to his current role as the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO.

Redmond is the highest-ranking African-American in the history of the Labor movement. He has surpassed the odds of a young black man from Chicago growing up in the 1970s as a steel mill worker. Redmond only wanted to improve the protections of his Brothers and Sisters in the union, and let his work speak for itself. As he continues to work with President Liz Schuler, he will continue to put in the hard work required to give every worker the opportunity to join the middle class no matter their race, religion or gender. 

For more about Redmond’s union journey, please listen to the show above.