On the eve of the AFL-CIO's historic 50th anniversary convention, six unions signaled they are ready to split from the federation.

The Service Employees International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE-HERE said they would boycott the convention and decide whether to drop their AFL-CIO affiliation. SEIU President Andy Stern and Teamsters President James Hoffa said a decision could come as soon as Monday.

Two other unions affiliated with the "Change to Win" Coalition ? the Laborers International Union of North America and the United Farm Workers ? said they would participate in the AFL-CIO convention but said their loyalty was with Change to Win.

"We're not trying to divide the labor movement," Stern said at a Sunday afternoon news conference. "We're trying to rebuild it."

Members of the Change to Win Coalition spoke to reporters. They include (from left) Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez, UNITE-HERE Hospitality Industry President John Wilhelm, SEIU President Andy Stern (at microphone), Laborers President Terence O'Sullivan, Change to Win Coalition Chair Anna Burger, UNITE-HERE General President Bruce Raynor and Teamsters President James Hoffa. Workday Minnesota photo

But the view was different among the remaining unions in the AFL-CIO, who said a fractured federation would weaken the labor movement.

"A union movement divided against itself risks losing the fight for workers' rights," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told supporters at a Sunday rally.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and Executive Vice President Linda Chavez Thompson joined hands at a rally with convention delegates. Minneapolis Labor Review photo

The AFL-CIO convenes its national convention Monday, with a number of high-profile speakers including Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards. Talk among delegates, however, is likely to be dominated by the split and its repercussions.

The decision to boycott the convention comes after months of very heated debate ? behind closed doors and in the media. The unions in the Change to Win coalition represent about a third of the unionized workforce. The coalition is demanding that unions make organizing their No. 1 focus. To achieve that, they want more unions to merge and to coordinate their activities in specific industry sectors.

UFCW President Joe Hansen said union leaders tried to work out a compromise, but the differences were too great and that a formal split is now inevitable.

"Our differences are so fundamental and so principled, that at this point in time, I don't think there is any chance of a change in course," he said.

Sweeney and leaders of other AFL-CIO unions said organizing should be a priority, but they disagree with many of the proposals made by the Change to Win coalition. The Sweeney camp believes political action must remain a key part of the federation's activities.

At a rally to support Sweeney, several speakers spoke bitterly of the split. AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez Thompson even compared the Change to Win Coalition to Wal-Mart and the National Right to Work Foundation ? some of labor's biggest enemies ? saying they are all "forces trying to tear us apart."

United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard was more conciliatory, saying he felt "like something had been torn out of me." He said that his union would continue to support organizing by the Change to Win Coalition among security guards, grocery employees and other workers.

The split creates a huge can of worms for the labor federation, especially at the state and local level where unions have built strong alliances around organizing and politics. Many state and local AFL-CIO leaders are members of the Change to Win Coalition unions.

Ironically, the convention occurs exactly 50 years since another historic convention ? when the AFL and CIO merged. In 1955, those two rival labor federations put aside their differences and united in one organization. Fifty years later, their successors have decided to go their separate ways.

For more information
Visit the Workday Minnesota special section, Labor's Future