Hansen succeeds founding chair Anna Burger, who resigned both that post and her secretary-treasurer’s position at SEIU on Sept. 11. Hoffa succeeds Edgar Romney, whose union, UNITE HERE, split and left CTW to rejoin the AFL-CIO.

Change To Win now includes SEIU, the Teamsters, UFCW and the United Farm Workers. The Laborers left it to rejoin the AFL-CIO on Oct. 1. UNITE HERE split and left several months ago. The Carpenters left a year ago and are unaffiliated with anybody.

Hansen said CTW would keep cooperating with the AFL-CIO on politics and legislation. CTW unions originally left the fed in 2005 because they felt it worked too much on politics and not enough on organizing, but distinctions have since blurred at the top. Close cooperation continued at the state and local level, with a few exceptions.

“We know a stronger labor movement is essential to the rebuilding of America’s middle class and that will be the primary focus of our work at Change To Win,” he said. "We will continue our strategic work building strength for workers in our core industries.”

This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.