Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Brad Lehto Retires

After more than 25 years and serving in multiple roles at the Minnesota AFL-CIO, Secretary-Treasurer Brad Lehto retired this month. Prior to his 2018 election, Secretary-Treasurer Lehto served as the State Federation’s Legislative Director and Chief of Staff.

During his time at the Minnesota AFL-CIO, Lehto worked with all unions – public and private sector, building trades, service, and industrial – along with faith groups and non-profit organizations to protect and improve the lives of working people. Lehto’s work was critical to countless pieces of legislation to grow expanded worker power, including the upcoming Paid Leave law, raising the state’s minimum wage, protecting and increase education funding, protecting union members’ licensing standards, protecting services for dislocated workers, improving infrastructure via substantial bonding bills, creating extended unemployment benefits for hard hit industries and areas of the state, and increase benefits for injured workers.

“I have always believed that all workers – no matter where we live, what we look like, or what we do for a living – deserve safe, family sustaining jobs and the freedom to spend time and care for the people we love,” Lehto said. “I have been incredibly fortunate to have a career in service to that vision.”

Before joining the Minnesota AFL-CIO, Lehto spent 14 years working for the Minnesota House of Representatives, ten of those years staffing the House Labor-Management Relations Committee and four as a staffer to the State Government Finance Committee. He was born on the Iron Range of Northeastern Minnesota and is a graduate of Augsburg College.

“Brad played a significant role in passing nearly every piece of pro-labor legislation in Minnesota over the last four decades. The working people of our state, both union and nonunion, are better off because of Brad’s work,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham. “While we will miss Brad, along with his vast knowledge and experience, our entire Labor Movement wishes him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”

The Minnesota AFL-CIO General Board will meet on November 3 to elect a successor to fill the remainder of Lehto’s term in office.