IAM Union International President Brian Bryant joined labor leaders in New Haven for the Connecticut AFL-CIO’s 16th Biennial Political Convention, delivering a powerful keynote address focused on solidarity, organizing, and building worker power in the face of growing attacks on working families.
The convention, themed “Strong Unions, Stronger Democracy,” also featured a keynote address by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, and its agenda centered on organizing, political action, economic justice, and the protection of workers’ rights.
Bryant followed Shuler, thanking Connecticut AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne and the state’s labor movement for their unwavering support during the 2025 IAM District 26 strike at Pratt & Whitney.
“We did not win that strike alone,” Bryant said. “We won because of the solidarity of the labor movement in this state. We won because Connecticut union members understood that the fight at Pratt & Whitney wasn’t just about Pratt & Whitney. It was about every worker in Connecticut.”
Bryant credited the union members of Connecticut for walking picket lines, delivering supplies, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with striking IAM Union Local 1746 and Local 700 members, calling their victory proof that solidarity remains labor’s greatest strength.
Throughout his speech, Bryant challenged corporate greed and attacks on collective bargaining while emphasizing the IAM Union’s commitment to organizing and fighting for working people.
“The labor movement is under attack. Workers are under attack. And unions are under attack,” said Bryant. “But the labor movement has seen this playbook before. And we are not going backward. Not now. Not ever.”
Bryant also highlighted the IAM Union’s Workers vs. Billionaires campaign, urging delegates to recognize that the struggle facing working families transcends political divisions.
“This is not Democrat versus Republican. This is not Left versus Right,” said Bryant. “This is workers versus the people profiting while workers struggle to survive. It is workers versus corporate greed. Workers versus union busting.”
He concluded by calling on delegates to continue organizing new workers and standing united against efforts to weaken unions.
“Together we stand. Together we fight. Together we organize. And together we will build an economy that works for workers—not just billionaires.”
Earlier in the convention, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler urged delegates to continue organizing workers and building political power, arguing that working people must shape an economy that prioritizes the workers who drive it over shareholders and profits.
“That economic pain won’t end until we take on an entire system that has left working people behind, and we put in place an economy that values real work,” said Shuler. “It starts with three words that everyone in this room knows well: Organize, organize, organize. That’s how we change what’s possible in this country.”
Shuler stressed that protecting workers’ rights requires mobilization beyond the workplace and into legislatures. “Organizing in the workplace won’t be successful if it isn’t paired with political organizing. Because the rules matter. Who writes them matters. Who enforces them matters,” said Shuler.
The convention brought together union delegates from across Connecticut to discuss organizing strategies, political action, legislative priorities, and strengthening worker power ahead of the 2026 elections.
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