Sean Astin, newly elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council, used his keynote at the “Unions Change Lives” convention to rally union leaders to defend First Amendment rights—warning that if they’re not protected together now, they’ll be lost.
Sean Astin walked to the front of a room filled with union leadership and made his message sound urgent—more rallying cry than formal keynote.
At the Constitutional Convention of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), where his address carried the theme “Unions Change Lives,” the “Lord of the Rings” and “Goonies” star didn’t soften his stance on the First Amendment.
“I love my country. I love my freedom of speech. I love my freedom to assemble,” Sean Astin said at the podium. He added, “Rights that every one of our organizations counts on for our survival; rights paid with blood. If we don’t defend those rights together now, we will lose them.”
The timing mattered. The speech landed exactly one week after SAG-AFTRA voted to ratify a new bargaining agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with 91.42% of votes in favor.
Astin’s role in the AFL-CIO convention also made the moment feel bigger than a celebrity appearance. He was elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council during the convention, and on Sunday delegates elected him Vice President alongside President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond.
It was Astin’s first time as a convention delegate, and also his first year as SAG-AFTRA president.
“Rights paid with blood” sounded personal when Astin expanded the meaning of labor power at the event. “The AFL-CIO for me is a towering beacon of labor power; worker muscle. I’ve marveled at its righteousness and deep influence in America,” he said. He continued, “I pray that our idealism and moxie only grows over time. And I can’t wait for us to find ways of supporting each other as we represent our members.”.
His comments about free speech also landed in a charged political climate. The speech appeared pointed amid Donald Trump’s second presidential term. with reporters repeatedly described as “crooked” by the current administration. It also came as the Bari Weiss-run “60 Minutes” has seen turmoil. including the removal of key contributors like Scott Pelley after clashes tied to her new policies.
Astin made the connection in the language of what workers deserve from the news they rely on.
“Our members deserve the truth, the whole truth and the objective truth that comes from trained professional reporting,” Astin said. “They deserve the best information available about issues that affect them, to make the best-informed decisions for themselves and our labor movement.”
By the time he closed, Astin returned to the story that audiences know best. He ended by reciting a passage from “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” spoken by his character Samwise Gamgee: “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”
Sean Astin First Amendment AFL-CIO Liz Shuler Fred Redmond SAG-AFTRA Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers bargaining agreement unions freedom of speech freedom to assemble labor leaders executive council