Some details remain to be settled, but the AFL-CIO announced Wednesday it will begin issuing "solidarity charters" to locals whose international unions recently disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO and joined the Change to Win Federation.
The charters are designed to address one of the biggest problems caused by the split of Change to Win unions ? the loss of leaders, activists and money in state and local labor movements. The charters allow Change to Win locals to affiliate officially with AFL-CIO central labor councils, state federations and Building Trades councils.
Locals that apply for and receive a "solidarity charter" will be able to participate fully in those state and local labor movements ? including holding office, voting, and having full rights in state and local AFL-CIO organizations. The charters set up the expectation that Change to Win and AFL-CIO unions will work side-by-side on workplace, organizing, legislative and electoral campaigns, including being able to contact each other's members for political mobilization.
Charters are available only to locals from the International Brotherhood of Carpenters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers, and UNITE HERE. They are not available to other unions that are not affiliated with the AFL-CIO on the national level.
The charters, which will be issued directly by the AFL-CIO in Washington, will be valid until Dec. 31, 2006, raising the prospect that unions will be able to work together much more effectively in statewide and Congressional elections next November.
'Protocol' outlines expectations
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney released a "protocol" governing the charters, which he said covers all areas of agreement with the Change to Win Federation except a fee payment at the national level.
Among expectations, the protocol requires participating locals not to raid or support raiding on other locals, and to pay local affiliation dues, based on their membership size, that are at least what they paid to the state or local organization before their international disaffiliated.
Change to Win Chair Anna Burger said the agreement represents "a step forward for workers. Change to Win has always encouraged our local affiliates to participate in state and local bodies, and the fact is that they have continued to do so in the absence of an agreement at the national level.?? The end result is that the Change to Win local unions who want to partner with the state and local level with state federations and central bodies will be equal partners with the AFL-CIO-affiliated locals."
Compromises carry the day
The charters represent a dramatic shift in the AFL-CIO position since the Change to Win unions began disaffiliating in July. At that time, Sweeney issued a sharply worded memo saying that state and local labor movements had to expel locals of the disaffiliated unions. Since then, some state and local labor organizations have seen key leaders leave and their monthly "per capita" payments shrink, sometimes by more than 50 percent.
The national agreement also reflects noticeable compromise from initial "solidarity charter" proposals. Early proposals did not allow Change to Win locals to hold an "executive office" in AFL-CIO organizations; would have required Change to Win locals to pay a 10 percent surcharge to offset research and other services that the AFL-CIO provides to its state and local organizations; and contained provisions that some Change to Win unions claimed would have put locals at odds with policies of their own internationals.
In October, Sweeney and Change to Win chair Anna Burger said the federations had agreed to handle the surcharge on the national level. Sweeney's statement on Wednesday said: "Although we have not yet reached a final agreement with the CTW unions on the payment mechanism to cover their share of administrative costs, no other differences remain that would prevent the Solidarity Charter program?s implementation. We do not want the work of state and local labor movements to suffer while we work out these final issues. We are confident that the disaffiliated national unions will make good on their commitment to make 'fair share' cost sharing payments to the national AFL-CIO on behalf of their reaffiliated local unions in the near future."
Michael Kuchta edits the Union Advocate, the official publication of the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly. E-mail him at advocate@stpaulunions.org and visit the Assembly's website, www.stpaulunions.org
For more informationVisit the Workday Minnesota special section, Labor's future
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Some details remain to be settled, but the AFL-CIO announced Wednesday it will begin issuing “solidarity charters” to locals whose international unions recently disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO and joined the Change to Win Federation.
The charters are designed to address one of the biggest problems caused by the split of Change to Win unions ? the loss of leaders, activists and money in state and local labor movements. The charters allow Change to Win locals to affiliate officially with AFL-CIO central labor councils, state federations and Building Trades councils.
Locals that apply for and receive a “solidarity charter” will be able to participate fully in those state and local labor movements ? including holding office, voting, and having full rights in state and local AFL-CIO organizations. The charters set up the expectation that Change to Win and AFL-CIO unions will work side-by-side on workplace, organizing, legislative and electoral campaigns, including being able to contact each other’s members for political mobilization.
Charters are available only to locals from the International Brotherhood of Carpenters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers, and UNITE HERE. They are not available to other unions that are not affiliated with the AFL-CIO on the national level.
The charters, which will be issued directly by the AFL-CIO in Washington, will be valid until Dec. 31, 2006, raising the prospect that unions will be able to work together much more effectively in statewide and Congressional elections next November.
‘Protocol’ outlines expectations
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney released a “protocol” governing the charters, which he said covers all areas of agreement with the Change to Win Federation except a fee payment at the national level.
Among expectations, the protocol requires participating locals not to raid or support raiding on other locals, and to pay local affiliation dues, based on their membership size, that are at least what they paid to the state or local organization before their international disaffiliated.
Change to Win Chair Anna Burger said the agreement represents “a step forward for workers. Change to Win has always encouraged our local affiliates to participate in state and local bodies, and the fact is that they have continued to do so in the absence of an agreement at the national level.?? The end result is that the Change to Win local unions who want to partner with the state and local level with state federations and central bodies will be equal partners with the AFL-CIO-affiliated locals.”
Compromises carry the day
The charters represent a dramatic shift in the AFL-CIO position since the Change to Win unions began disaffiliating in July. At that time, Sweeney issued a sharply worded memo saying that state and local labor movements had to expel locals of the disaffiliated unions. Since then, some state and local labor organizations have seen key leaders leave and their monthly “per capita” payments shrink, sometimes by more than 50 percent.
The national agreement also reflects noticeable compromise from initial “solidarity charter” proposals. Early proposals did not allow Change to Win locals to hold an “executive office” in AFL-CIO organizations; would have required Change to Win locals to pay a 10 percent surcharge to offset research and other services that the AFL-CIO provides to its state and local organizations; and contained provisions that some Change to Win unions claimed would have put locals at odds with policies of their own internationals.
In October, Sweeney and Change to Win chair Anna Burger said the federations had agreed to handle the surcharge on the national level. Sweeney’s statement on Wednesday said: “Although we have not yet reached a final agreement with the CTW unions on the payment mechanism to cover their share of administrative costs, no other differences remain that would prevent the Solidarity Charter program?s implementation. We do not want the work of state and local labor movements to suffer while we work out these final issues. We are confident that the disaffiliated national unions will make good on their commitment to make ‘fair share’ cost sharing payments to the national AFL-CIO on behalf of their reaffiliated local unions in the near future.”
Michael Kuchta edits the Union Advocate, the official publication of the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly. E-mail him at advocate@stpaulunions.org and visit the Assembly’s website, www.stpaulunions.org
For more information
Visit the Workday Minnesota special section, Labor’s future