At the AFL-CIO 2013 Convention in downtown Los Angeles, UFCW delegates received a warm welcome from the union federation as they took the stage to celebrate the new affiliation with the AFL-CIO in a movement to build a stronger, more unified voice for the rights of workers.

“We’re home,” said UFCW President Joe Hansen after leading a huge delegation of gold-shirted members through hundreds of cheering delegates welcoming them back to the AFL-CIO.

The AFL-CIO delegation also cheered on a group of OUR Walmart workers who were welcomed as guests at the convention.

The UFCW announced its affiliation with the AFL-CIO last month in a bold move toward a stronger, more unified labor movement.

“We join the AFL-CIO because it is the right thing to do for UFCW members, giving them more power and influence. This is not about which building in Washington D.C. we call home — it is about fostering more opportunities for workers to have a true voice on the job. It is about joining forces to build a more united labor movement that can fight back against the corporate and political onslaught facing our members each and every day,” said President Hansen.

President Hansen continued, “I respect Rich Trumka’s bold leadership of the AFL-CIO and his strategic advocacy on key issues like the urgent need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, fix the Affordable Care Act so workers in multiemployer plans can keep the health care they currently have, and ensure the National Labor Relations Board protects workers’ rights. The UFCW is proud to affiliate with a transparent, strategic and innovative AFL-CIO – an AFL-CIO committed to bringing a union voice on the job to millions of workers from coast to coast.”

AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka remarked at the UFCW 2013 Convention, “Brothers and sisters, the UFCW is a proud and powerful union. On behalf of the 12 million working men and women of the affiliate unions of the AFL-CIO, I want to welcome you to the federation — We’re stronger together.”