Largest US union federation’s first female president takes charge at critical moment

Liz Shuler leads AFL-CIO as public approval for organized labor is on the rise, young workers are flocking into unions and millions seek better conditions

For 12 years, Liz Shuler was No 2 to Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, main union federation in the US, but after Trumka's unexpected death in August, Shuler became the its first-ever female president at a time that organized labor in the US faces deep problems - and extraordinary opportunities.

Many union members are hoping that Shuler, a well-liked, hard-working 51-year-old, will figure out how to capitalize on those opportunities. Public approval for organized labor in the US has climbed to its highest level in more than 50 years, as many young workers are flocking into unions and millions of overstressed, underpaid frontline workers are impatient to improve their lot.