Consul General Meets with Union Leaders

Sao Paulo

Consul General Thomas Kelly with Força Sindical members

On March 28, U.S. Consul General in Sao Paulo Thomas Kelly paid a visit to the offices of Força Sindical, the second-largest trade union central in Brazil. In addition to touring Força’s Worker Solidarity Center, an employment center that has placed 600,000 Brazilians in jobs since it opened 12 years ago, Consul General Kelly discussed the state of organized labor in the era of globalization and President Obama’s recent visit to Brazil.  He emphasized the importance of both the role of labor in a thriving democracy and cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil to ensure that global markets for exports continue to grow.  Força Sindical members and CG Kelly also discussed job training and preparing work forces through English-language and other areas of education, as well as skills training to meet the needs of the 21st century.