Mission Statement
The mission of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families, to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to the community and to unite all New Jersey local unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO to work together to accomplish this mission. We will build and change the American labor movement.
We will build a broad labor movement of workers by organizing workers into unions. We will create a broad understanding of the need to organize among our members, non-members, and members of the community. We will encourage all workers without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation to share equally in the full benefits of union organization.
We will build a strong political force and electoral power for working families in New Jersey by encouraging members of the community and labor movement who support progressive values to register to vote. We will educate, mentor, and support union members to run for public office at all local and state levelsand to stand up for middle class families, through the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates program. We will establish a strong progressive legislative agenda that will speak forcefully on issues that affect the lives of working families on all levels of government. We will promote, aid, and encourage the sale of union-made products and union-supplied services through the use of union label and other symbols. We will promote worker education and public and community awareness of the labor movement through print and broadcast media as well as through the latest advances in communications technology and social networking.
We will change the labor movement byforging strategic alliances and joining in unity with our state’s diverse community organizations including civil rights, faith, student, women, and retiree groups to foster an era of collaboration never before seen and to bring about the highest degree of progress for New Jersey’s working families. We will work with our Central Labor Councils and Building Trades Councils to strengthen the ties of labor to our allies in the community and to mobilize and engage all working families at the local level. We will unite around the shared values of the labor movement and our community allies. We will work to educate the general public and the state’s youth on the integral role of unions in our society and to build a thriving labor movement for the next generation.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO will act as the official spokesperson of the AFL-CIO on all civic, social, legislative, economic, and constitutional issues in the State of New Jersey and will safeguard the democratic character of the labor movement.
We dedicate ourselves to improving the lives of working families, bringing dignity and fairness to the workplace and securing social equity in the State of New Jersey and in the nation by being in conformance with the policies of the AFL-CIO.