The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), formerly known as the Change to Win Federation (CtW), is a coalition of North American labor unions originally formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL–CIO.

[6] On August 8, 2013, the United Food and Commercial Workers announced that they would be leaving Change to Win and re-affiliating with the AFL–CIO.

[10][11] David Bonior, a former US Congressman who once led the AFL–CIO's American Rights at Work division and who was a member of Barack Obama's presidential transition team, facilitated the meeting, and said talks were scheduled to last several weeks.

[12] Also in attendance was Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, which is independent and belongs to neither group.

[10] Among other issues discussed were: How the AFL–CIO/new organization would encourage new member organizing and at what level (national or local), what a reunited labor movement's political priorities should be, what sort of relationship a reunited labor movement will have with the Democratic and Republican parties, the level of member union dues, and globalization issues.

[10][13] Although one news outlet reported that the 12 unions hoped to settle on a reunification agreement by April 15, 2009,[10] no issues were resolved in the first round of talks.

[13] The talks drew some limited criticism from members of the labor movement for not addressing issues of union democracy.