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It was just a decade ago that the Great Recession — the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression — upended life for hundreds of millions of Americans. More than 8 million people across the country lost their jobs. Millions more lost their homes and life savings.

One of the workshops at the Connecticut AFL-CIO’s two-day convention that opened here Thursday explored the lessons offered from “worker power resurgence,” a reference to labor’s extraordinary year of strikes and other work stoppages in 2018.

For decades, working families could depend on labor unions to represent their collective interests -- ensuring a living wage, better benefits and a voice in their workplace.

Letter Carriers member Paul Trotman was lucky his house survived Hurricane Florence. When the dust settled, he applied for a Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant, a benefit of being an eligible Union Plus Credit Cardholder. He and his family used the $500 grant to get back on their feet.

For her entire adult life, CSEA member Guaren Long has wanted to go back to school to get the college education she felt was missing from her life. When she got an email from the Union Plus Free College Program, she enrolled immediately and hasn’t looked back. With just five classes left, Long has been very happy with her experience and credits the program’s flexibility and course offerings.

A decade ago, General Motors was on the verge of collapse. Facing down an earth-shattering financial crisis, tens of thousands of UAW members agreed to help save an American icon — and the economy along with it.