Elizabeth H. Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, the democratic federation of 60 national and international unions that represent 12.5 million working people. Shuler is the first woman leader of America’s labor movement, with a deep belief that it is the most powerful vehicle for progress, economic fairness, equality and durable societal transformations.

Shuler is committed to busting myths about labor, leveraging the labor movement’s diversity for innovative approaches to social justice and making the benefits of a union voice on the job available to working people everywhere, especially women, immigrants and people of color.

Shuler was elected by acclamation in June of 2022 to serve a four-year term as president of the federation, after serving out the term her of predecessor Richard Trumka following his unexpected and untimely passing in August 2021.

In 2009, Shuler was the first woman elected to the AFL-CIO’s second highest office, secretary-treasurer, becoming the youngest woman ever on the federation’s Executive Council. As secretary-treasurer Shuler created several strategic initiatives that she continues to champion, including on the future of work, the clean energy economy, workforce development, and empowering women and young workers.

Shuler grew up in a union household—her father, Lance, was a power lineman and longtime member of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 125 at Portland General Electric and her late mother, Joyce, worked as an estimator in the company’s service and design department.  She got her start in the labor movement with IBEW, where she was a political organizer, defeating prop 226 in California, then serving as a political and legislative representative in Wahington DC and as assistant to IBEW president Ed Hill.

Shuler is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism. She lives in Washington DC with her husband, David Herbst, and their black Labrador retriever, Trader.