Dustin Reinstedler, President of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his career in the labor movement and what led him to want to seek leadership roles in the labor movement. He also discussed the importance of union solidarity in the state and what is being done with school counselors to improve the pathway to the trades.
In December 2023, Reinstedler was elected and sworn in as the President of the KY AFL-CIO. He replaced the now-retired Bill Londrigan, who spent 24 years as the organization's president. Reinstedler comes from a family of union members. He is a member of the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 4 Indiana/Kentucky. He talked about his time in BAC Local 4 and what led him to eventually become head of the KY AFL-CIO.
Without union solidarity, there would be no labor movement, and Reinstedler discussed what he’s seen in Kentucky. He discussed the anti-labor actions taken by the last Kentucky governor and how they helped build a stronger labor movement. Now that Gov. Andy Beshear has been reelected for his second term, Reinstedler talked about the relationship between the governor’s office and labor in the state.
Finally, Reinstedler discussed the negative legislation that they were able to defeat. He outlined the work to defeat a proposed bill that would weaken child labor regulations. It wasn’t only working to defeat bad legislation, the KY AFL-CIO also supported the bill that will help improve outreach in high schools in the state, he said. With the new law, he believes more school counselors will begin suggesting the trades as an alternative to going to college.
For more from Reinstedler, please listen to the show above.