For some time now Big Labor has aligned itself with “progressive” groups whose priorities run far afield from the lunchpail issues that once gave labor unions purpose. Today’s evidence of that leftly wandering agenda is the America’s Future Now conference starting today in D.C., sponsored by the Campaign for America’s Future and promoted at the AFL-CIO blog:

The America’s Future Now conference kicks off this morning. During the next three days, the largest gathering of progressive activists, leaders and lawmakers will map out an economic and political agenda for change—and the organizing strategies for taking that agenda to the country.

Those strategies will focus on fighting the corporate lobbies that stand in the way of economic justice and reform; energizing and building a movement for jobs now; and creating a progressive majority that challenges both obstructionist Republicans and timid Democrats.

“Economic justice” is code for redistributionist.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is addressing the group Tuesday at the Omni Shoreham, that hotbed of proletariat solidarity that also serves as CPAC’s convention site in Washington. And now that we read the full agenda, the conference does resemble a CPAC for the left.

And, hey, look! Van Jones returns from the cold!

Some of the sessions on key topics for working people include: “Health Care Reform-The Next Step,” “Immigration Reform,” “Working Class Anger-Does It Go Left or Right?” “Next Generation Progressives,” “Holding Congress Accountable” and “Can Congress Work in Polarized Age?” Click here for the full conference agenda.Also taking part in the conference are Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington; Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.); Democratic Reps. Alan Grayson (Fla.), Donna Edwards (Md.) and Barbara Lee (Calif.); former White House adviser Van Jones; former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean; NAACP President Benjamin Jealous; and Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza.

The AFL-CIO blog is reporting on the union-funded Economic Policy Institute’s “Spotlight on the Jobs Crisis” panel discussion this morning, a gathering of “progressive” leaders. Speakers are: Richard L. Trumka, AFL-CIO president; Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of the Center for Community Change; Wade Henderson, the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR); Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; EPI President Lawrence Mishel; andJanet Murguía, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of La Raza.

Trumka’s jobs agenda appears to be an agenda for government jobs:

Trumka is proposing five steps to help end the nation’s ongoing jobs crisis. In the face of a 10 percent official unemployment rate and millions more underemployed or struggling with long-term unemployment, Trumka says, we need immediate action to put people back to work. The five key steps are:

1. Extend the lifeline for jobless workers.

2. Rebuild America’s schools, roads and energy systems.

3. Increase aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services

4. Fund jobs in our communities.

5. Put TARP funds to work for Main Street.

Too general to critique, and there could well be good projects amid the government spending — infrastructure, for example. But the Workforce Fairness Institute notes that the AFL-CIO’s oft-stated priority is the Employee Free Choice, the forced unionization “card check” legislation. WFI issued a statement this morning from its executive director, Katie Packer:

In a comedic yet troubling display of hypocrisy, Richard Trumka will announce this morning “bold, quick action to put people back to work.”  And his solution? A bill that would kill 600,000 jobs in the first year alone.  Trumka’s solution to double-digit, historic unemployment is support for job-killing legislation that will only put more people out of work and force our nation’s top job producers – small businesses – to close their doors.  Union bosses have demonstrated a willingness to distort the truth in order to get the “payback” they believe they are owed in the form of the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act.  The notion that this legislation would do anything but further damage our economy is complete nonsense.

UPDATE (11:10): Video of Trumka’s remarks is here. He does indeed make a quick reference to the Employee Free Choice Act, urging its passage. The interesting thrust of the AFL-CIO program is that it relies entirely on the government. The private sector barely enters into his discussion, except as a recipient of government funds.