Six months into the 47th presidency, the American Labor Movement is being tested—not only in its strength, but in its identity. Are we merely negotiating wages and benefits, or are we fighting for the soul of a democratic society?
The current administration has made its position crystal clear. More than 60 regulatory rollbacks have been proposed for workplace safety, worker protections, and federal oversight. OSHA’s enforcement power is shrinking. Anti-retaliation protections are dissolving. Agencies built to protect workers, such as the Department of Labor and NIEHS, are being hollowed out or dismantled. Federal workers, educators, and public-sector unions are being treated not as partners in public service but as obstacles to private gain. As I wrote earlier this year, “This isn’t deregulation. It’s demolition.” The 47th administration is not just trimming bureaucracy. It is pulling out the bolts that hold the bridge up and daring us to drive across.
This moment calls for a redefinition of labor’s role. Labor cannot be seen only as a force for employment standards. It must be recognized as one of the last and most vital democratic institutions in American life. Labor is one of the few remaining spaces where working people vote, voice concerns, set policy, elect leadership, and hold real power. In the workplace, unions defend rights. In the public square, they defend democracy. That is why authoritarian regimes so often go after unions first: because democracy at work poses a threat to tyranny at the top.
We cannot afford to think of labor as smaller than it is. Our movement does not exist just to negotiate the fine print of labor agreements. We are here to protect the fundamental idea that people should have a say in their jobs, their government, and their future. That is the task in front of us now.
We have already begun to imagine how labor might reclaim its full civic power through models that connect equity, voice, and economic opportunity. The Building Futures program provided by The Urban League of Southwest Ohio in partnership with the Greater Cincinnati Building & Construction Trades Council continues to serve as a powerful example. It offers a community-rooted pathway into union careers for people who have too often been shut out. It provides a scalable solution for connecting historically underserved residents with life-changing work.
Out of that success, we are shaping an even broader vision: the BEACON Task Force. BEACON is not yet doing the work it needs, but it is a concept whose time has come. It is A proposal… A vision map… It represents a coordinated, cross-sector strategy that is still in development but grounded in a clear conviction. Workforce development must not be treated as a service or a benefit. It is a civil right. BEACON imagines what we could accomplish if we truly aligned local government, labor, education, and community institutions around removing the structural barriers that prevent people from accessing opportunity. It is a vision that sees food security, transportation, housing, and childcare not as side issues but as core infrastructure, just as essential as roads and bridges. If we get this right, BEACON can become a launchpad for the future of equitable and democratic workforce policy, not just in Greater Cincinnati but in regions across the country.
We are now in a phase of this struggle that demands more than technical progress or regulatory defense. It demands courage and clarity. Labor must speak directly about the threats we face, not just as workers but as citizens. We must align more deeply with civil rights, faith-based, and community organizations that share our values. We must expand our vision of union work to include democracy building, civic engagement, and leadership across coalitions. We must be ready to defend every space where public voice is under attack, from school boards to federal agencies. And we must reclaim our place, not only at the bargaining table but at the forefront of a national movement for justice and freedom.
The 47th president is not acting alone. He is counting on cowardice, relying on confusion, and gambling that Americans are too tired, too busy, or too divided to respond. But we are not confused, divided, or afraid.
We are the people who carry the tools, who fight the fires, who build the bridges, care for the sick, drive the buses, teach the children, and keep the lights on. We are the ones who have always had to organize when the system turned against us. And we are the ones who will do it again, louder, smarter, stronger, and together.
This is not just a fight for Labor. This is a fight by Labor for democracy itself.
About the Author:
Brian Griffin serves as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council and sits on the boards of both the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Boards. A longtime advocate for working families, equitable workforce development, and democracy in action, Brian leads regional initiatives to reimagine labor’s role in building a just and inclusive economy.
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