Among the 5,000 scheduled to attend were day laborers from as far away as Florida and taxi drivers from New York City.
But there were also several international guests, including representatives from the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, trade unionists from Pakistan and representatives from the Myanmar Federation of Trade Unions.
Mohammed Zahoor Awan, general secretary of the Pakistan Workers Federation, said he came to share "brotherly feelings" and solidarity with the American labor movement.
The convention also has brought together new allies such as the Sierra Club, the NAACP and the National Council of La Raza.
They came at a time when only about 11% of U.S. workers are unionized, according to the most recent figures available, down from 35% in 1950.
In particular, there is an attempt to attract and to elevate the status of domestic workers in the U.S. as a potential source of future strength and influence. That effort includes bringing together international domestic worker leadership from as far away as South Africa and Hong Kong.
