North Coast Labor's Gallagher on AFL-CIO Convention and the Jones Act

Pat Gallagher, President of the North Coast Area Labor Federation and a retired member of the United Steelworkers, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast fresh from the 30th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in Minneapolis to share what delegates heard, what energized the crowd and what concerns are keeping labor leaders focused as they head into one of the most consequential political years in recent memory.

Gallagher discussed the Jones Act waiver the Trump administration extended through mid-August, the ongoing fight against illegal steel dumping ahead of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) renegotiation this summer, the convention's goal of organizing 2 million new union members and a striking demonstration of AI deep fake technology that left delegates alarmed about the threat to both union organizing and democratic elections.

• The Trump administration issued an initial 60-day Jones Act waiver in March 2026, then extended it an additional 90 days through mid-August, citing energy cost reduction — a justification Gallagher said has not materialized. The Jones Act requires the vessels moving cargo between U.S. ports to be built in the United States, owned by Americans and crewed by U.S. citizens. Its erosion is part of a broader maritime dominance crisis in which 5,500 ocean-going vessels are Chinese-flagged while the United States operates 80 to 90, carrying only 1 percent of global maritime commerce despite the U.S. being involved in 90 percent of world trade.
• The AFL-CIO convention in Minneapolis set an organizing goal of 2 million new union members across affiliated unions over the next five years, with all sectors and industries called to work together toward that target. The convention also featured a presentation on artificial intelligence that included a side-by-side comparison of a 2023 deep fake ad versus a 2026 version that delegates described as impossible to distinguish from reality. The newer video showed a union representative appearing to urge a no vote on his own contract, a video he had nothing to do with.
• Gallagher called for the USMCA renegotiation this summer to include stricter protections against steel dumping and argued that the standard for declaring a product American steel must require that the steel be melted and poured in the United States. This will address a transshipment loophole through which Chinese steel has moved through Mexico to enter the U.S. market without penalty, he explained.

Energized after the Convention

Pat Gallagher is President of the North Coast Area Labor Federation and a retired United Steelworkers member who has spent decades at the intersection of labor advocacy and trade policy. He came to today's first segment fresh from the AFL-CIO convention in Minneapolis, where he attended both the main convention and the Maritime Trades Convention held immediately before it. He called it a very good session — energized, focused and clear-eyed about the challenges ahead.

The Jones Act Under Threat

The discussion of the Maritime Trades Convention centered heavily on the Jones Act waiver. The Jones Act requires that all vessels moving cargo between U.S. ports be built in the United States, owned by Americans and crewed by U.S. citizens. It is one of the foundational protections for American maritime workers and the domestic shipbuilding industry. The Trump administration issued a 60-day waiver in March, then extended it an additional 90 days through mid-August. The stated rationale was reducing energy costs. Gallagher said the rationale has not held up.

The broader maritime picture makes the waiver even more concerning. The United States accounts for 90 percent of global commerce, and 90 percent of that commerce moves by sea, Gallagher said. Only 1 percent of it moves on American ships, however. There are 5,500 Chinese ocean-going vessels. The United States operates between 80 and 90. This represents a collapse of U.S. maritime dominance that has been building for decades and is now accelerating, he added.

The SHIPS for America Act, currently before Congress, would restore cargo-preference requirements for American vessels and help rebuild the domestic shipbuilding industry. Five unions, including the United Steelworkers, have filed a Section 301 trade case around shipbuilding, adding legal pressure alongside the legislative push. Gallagher said the concern is not just this specific waiver, but also what happens to the Jones Act in the long run if the current trajectory continues.

Steel Dumping and the USMCA Renegotiation

Gallagher also addressed the steel industry's ongoing battle with import dumping, noting that the USMCA renegotiation this summer is a critical pressure point. The transshipment problem is well-documented. Chinese steel that cannot enter the U.S. market directly flows through Mexico, is minimally processed, and then crosses the border as if it originated domestically. The remedy, in Gallagher's view, is definitional clarity. For steel to be considered American, it must be melted and poured in the United States. That simple, specific and verifiable standard would close the loophole that has allowed foreign steel to displace domestic production while technically complying with existing trade rules, he said.

The USW and others are closely monitoring the effects of import policies on the steel industry and pushing for stronger protections in the renegotiated agreement. The renegotiation is this summer. The window to get it right is now, Gallagher said.

The 30th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention: Energy, Goals and a Sobering AI Demonstration

The main AFL-CIO convention left delegates energized about what lies ahead. The organizing goal announced from the convention floor is 2 million new union members across affiliated unions over the next five years. Every sector, every industry and every union is expected to contribute to that number. Gallagher said the sense among delegates was that everyone recognized the challenges facing the labor movement and was more determined than ever to meet them.

The presentation that generated the most striking reaction was on artificial intelligence. Convention organizers showed delegates a side-by-side comparison of a 2023 deep fake video and a 2026 version of the same technology. The improvement was startling. The 2026 version, according to Gallagher, was “nearly impossible” to distinguish from genuine footage. To illustrate the stakes, organizers showed a video of a union representative — a real person who had actually negotiated and was trying to ratify a contract — appearing to urge members to vote against his own agreement. He had nothing to do with the video. It was entirely fabricated.

Gallagher connected that demonstration to the political challenge facing labor in this election cycle. Deep fake ads targeting candidates or misrepresenting union positions could appear indistinguishable from real campaign material. Government regulation of AI in political campaigns is needed and has yet to arrive. In the meantime, the labor movement’s voter education and get-out-the-vote infrastructure — which the North Coast Area Labor Federation runs at a significant scale — is one of the few mechanisms available to push back against disinformation at the community level.

He left Minneapolis convinced that the labor movement is in fighting shape heading into the months ahead. More information on the AFL-CIO is available at aflcio.org.

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