The new Change to Win labor federation, formed by unions representing nearly 6 million workers, will keep its focus on organizing millions more people into unions, its leadership said.
Over the course of its day-long founding convention Tuesday, delegates ratified a constitution and structure, and passed resolutions on organizing, diversity, and politics. Anna Burger of the Service Employees International Union was officially designated as chair of the new federation, the first time in American history that a woman has headed a labor federation. Edgar Romney of UNITE HERE was chosen as the secretary-treasurer of the federation, the first time an African-American has headed an American labor federation.
Change to Win, comprised of seven unions, will be a lean organization focusing more than 75 percent of its budget on organizing working people, Burger and Romney said. The federation estimates that the collective organizing expenditures of its affiliates and Change to Win at all levels will easily approach $750 million per year.
In addition to the SEIU and UNITE HERE, affiliates of the Change to Win federation are the Teamsters, United Food & Commercial Workers, United Farm Workers, Laborers and Carpenters. SEIU, UNITE HERE, UFCW, Teamsters and Carpenters were formerly affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the dominant labor federation in the United States for the past 50 years. The Farm Workers and Laborers remain members of the AFL-CIO, as well as belonging to the new federation.
"May the history books record that on the 27th day of September in St. Louis, delegates gathered and chose to change not just their unions, but their country," said Burger. "Today we come together, having traveled here on separate roads with our separate proud histories, and our own union's colors, but we are all going in the same direction now. We are on the way to rekindle the American dream.
"Strategic, smart, organizing is our core principle -- our North Star," she said. "We will put our money where our mouth is, with three-quarters of our resources going to a groundbreaking organizing crusade."
Romney said the members of the federation "are embarking on a journey together toward a new era, where workers are valued and the economy works for everyone. And for the first time ever, the movement is being led by a woman. We are committed to diversity throughout our ranks and there is no better place to start than the top."
Prior to leaving the convention, all of the delegates signed a Change to Win pledge, which summarized the organizing goals of the new federation, including agreeing "to hold each other accountable to our common objective of uniting workers into unions and restoring the American Dream."
For more information
Visit the Change to Win website, www.changetowin.org
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The new Change to Win labor federation, formed by unions representing nearly 6 million workers, will keep its focus on organizing millions more people into unions, its leadership said.
Over the course of its day-long founding convention Tuesday, delegates ratified a constitution and structure, and passed resolutions on organizing, diversity, and politics. Anna Burger of the Service Employees International Union was officially designated as chair of the new federation, the first time in American history that a woman has headed a labor federation. Edgar Romney of UNITE HERE was chosen as the secretary-treasurer of the federation, the first time an African-American has headed an American labor federation.
Change to Win, comprised of seven unions, will be a lean organization focusing more than 75 percent of its budget on organizing working people, Burger and Romney said. The federation estimates that the collective organizing expenditures of its affiliates and Change to Win at all levels will easily approach $750 million per year.
In addition to the SEIU and UNITE HERE, affiliates of the Change to Win federation are the Teamsters, United Food & Commercial Workers, United Farm Workers, Laborers and Carpenters. SEIU, UNITE HERE, UFCW, Teamsters and Carpenters were formerly affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the dominant labor federation in the United States for the past 50 years. The Farm Workers and Laborers remain members of the AFL-CIO, as well as belonging to the new federation.
“May the history books record that on the 27th day of September in St. Louis, delegates gathered and chose to change not just their unions, but their country,” said Burger. “Today we come together, having traveled here on separate roads with our separate proud histories, and our own union’s colors, but we are all going in the same direction now. We are on the way to rekindle the American dream.
“Strategic, smart, organizing is our core principle — our North Star,” she said. “We will put our money where our mouth is, with three-quarters of our resources going to a groundbreaking organizing crusade.”
Romney said the members of the federation “are embarking on a journey together toward a new era, where workers are valued and the economy works for everyone. And for the first time ever, the movement is being led by a woman. We are committed to diversity throughout our ranks and there is no better place to start than the top.”
Prior to leaving the convention, all of the delegates signed a Change to Win pledge, which summarized the organizing goals of the new federation, including agreeing “to hold each other accountable to our common objective of uniting workers into unions and restoring the American Dream.”
For more information
Visit the Change to Win website, www.changetowin.org