On November 13, Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Donald Norcross (D-NJ) announced the creation of a Labor Caucus, “intended to advance the needs of the labor movement, combat the issues facing working families, and connect legislators directly with unions and union leaders.”

Both organized labor and workers generally face neglect and hostility in the halls of Congress where industry lobbyists, wealthy donors, and large employers exert powerful influence on both parties. Will this new Labor Caucus be an important vehicle for uniting pro-worker lawmakers around a concrete agenda and bringing labor movement politics to the fore in national politics? That’s the idea.

Pocan has been a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) for three decades and was a leader in the fight against Scott Walker’s attacks on public employee unions in Wisconsin in 2010, when he was a member of the Wisconsin state legislature. Jacobin’s Meagan Day spoke to Pocan about the origins and composition of the caucus, its structure and agenda, and his own views on the most pressing issues labor faces today.