On July 7, the North Alabama Area Labor Council, or NAALC, AFL-CIO, and the North Alabama Building and Construction Trades Council hosted an Organized Labor Lunch and Learn in Huntsville.
More than a dozen local political candidates, lawmakers and community leaders attended, including two Huntsville City Council members and two state representatives. Labor leaders discussed challenges facing working-class Alabamians, explained the role of unions and introduced the North Alabama Workers’ Agenda, a high-road policy blueprint.
As North Alabama experiences economic growth, working families are being left behind by an economy and political system that prioritizes corporate developers and multinational monopolies over everyday people, the council said.
“Labor unions represent working people across every industry, region and political background in our state,” Jacob Morrison, president of NAALC, said. “We are not a special interest—we are the people who make Alabama work. When working people have a voice on the job and in local government, our entire community thrives. We hosted this lunch to challenge policymakers to stop treating labor as a political target and start including us as partners at the table.”
Labor leaders presented candidates with a multilevel legislative and municipal roadmap. At the local level, the North Alabama Workers’ Agenda: A High-Road Vision for Our Cities outlines policies within municipal authority, including:
- Responsible contracting and procurement to ensure public tax dollars subsidize only developers who pay fair wages, offer local apprenticeship programs and guarantee safe workplaces.
- Worker representation on local public boards and commissions, along with municipal workforce advisory boards that give residents a voice in economic development.
- A municipal Workers’ Bill of Rights establishing a framework for job quality, safety and dignity.
The council also encouraged policymakers to expand access to high-quality, affordable child care, particularly for nontraditional shift workers, and to remove local sales taxes on medical and household essentials, including hearing aids.
On state policy, leaders called for higher wages; stronger protections for workers’ rights and workplace safety; greater freedom to organize; corporate accountability; and investment in communities. NAALC delegates will attend the Alabama AFL-CIO statewide convention in August to provide input before November’s general elections.
“We need a clear departure from the low-wage, low-benefit economic model that has kept Alabama near the bottom of national quality-of-life rankings,” Adam Keller, NAALC politics committee chair and trustee, said. “Organized labor is offering a high-road economic vision. We are looking for year-round partners, not transactional campaign relationships. We stand ready to work with and organize with any leader who has the courage to stand with working people over powerful corporate lobbies.”
NAALC and its coalition partners said they will use the agenda to guide political engagement, education and community organizing campaigns throughout 2026 and beyond.
For more information or to view the full agenda, visit northalabamalabor.org.
