Labor history was quietly made in Appleton, Wisconsin on Saturday, January 26, 2008.

The event was the Wisconsin AFL-CIO New Alliance Convocation, which took place at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton.  The choice of a meeting site was significant.  The Radisson in Appleton was built entirely by Union laborers and is an example of successful cooperation between contractors and Union labor.

The New Alliance is the AFL-CIO's first major initiative to restructure the American labor movement.  The structure of the organization has not changed since the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged in the 1950s.

Delegates to the Wisconsin Convocation voted to create three new AFL-CIO jurisdictions within Wisconsin.  Federal and State field staff will also be reorganized.  And there will be a new emphasis on strategic planning and accountability.

Photo above: Delegates caucus during the Wisconsin New Alliance Convocation in Appleton, Wisconsin 

Featured speakers at the Convocation included Linda Chavez-Thompson, AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President Emeritus, and Ed McElroy, President of the AFT (American Federation of Teachers).  AFL-CIO Political Director Mike Podhorzer gave an excellent presentation on the role of organized labor in state and national elections.

I was proud to be sent by our American Federation of Musicians Local (Local 30-73) as a delegate to Wisconsin's New Alliance Convocation.  My thanks go to AFM President Tom Lee and to the officers and directors of AFM Local 30-73 for the opportunity to participate in this historic event.