Stressing the need for labor unity in the face of an anti-worker federal government and business hostility, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and his ticket formally announced they would seek re-election to labor's top posts.
Delegates to the federation's convention, July 25-28 in Chicago, will vote on whether to retain Sweeney, Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and Executive Vice-President Linda Chavez-Thompson for another four years. At their June 20 press conference, the three claimed support from unions representing 63 percent of the federation's 12.95 million members.
But if the three win at Chicago, they face potential withdrawal by up to four unions: The Service Employees and the United Food and Commercial Workers, which have already voted to leave should their reform demands fail, and UNITE HERE and the Teamsters. Combined, those unions have just over 4 million members.
"We have done what we promised we would do," when their team ousted former AFL-CIO President Thomas Donahue a decade ago, said Trumka. He then ran through a list of achievements and initiatives ranging from establishing an organizing institute to increasing labor's share of the electorate to leading campaigns against trade treaties and corporate greed.
Sweeney and Chavez-Thompson, citing their histories as fighters for workers, promised to continue and increase the efforts. "We'll continue our direction to rebuild" the labor movement's "power, moral force and numbers of union workers," she said.
But in the face of all that, union membership in the private sector has continued to decline, to the point where unions represent only 1 of every 12 private industry workers and one of every 8 overall. That's led dissidents to demand more resources, talent and money go to organizing, with unions assigned "core industries" and to lessen the emphasis on politics. Sweeney, looking forward, said unions must do both.
And to succeed in both organizing and politics, he added, unions must be unified--the theme of the re-election announcement. "I have no intention of backing down" from fighting for workers "just because the fight is getting tougher," Sweeney said. "As long as I am president, our solidarity will never be sacrificed."
Sweeney urged the dissident unions to concentrate their criticism and efforts on both anti-union companies--he named Wal-Mart and Verizon Wireless--and the Bush administration. "When we aim our guns, it shouldn't be in a circle" at each other, he cautioned. Doing so would only aid labor's political enemies, he warned.
"They hope like hell that our frustrations in the struggle to defeat them will somehow divide us," he added.
But SEIU and UFCW have already voted to leave, or disaffiliate, should their plans for radical change fail in Chicago. Those plans include assigning "core industries" to specific unions, downgrading politics in favor of organizing, and incentives to merge unions without strategic organizing plans into larger unions.
And in their response to Sweeney's formal re-election candidacy, the dissidents said "unity that does not unite workers to build power is a false unity. The AFL‑CIO officers' approach is a status quo unity that will simply reinforce the trajectory of the last 10 years--declining union membership, fewer worker protections, and an enhanced political assault on working people at the federal, sttate and local levels."
Sweeney responded that a changing work environment, including industry enemies, globalization and outsourcing, and a hostile federal government, demands the labor movement must change, too. And he said the AFL-CIO has already been "through a thoughtful and intensive process of discussing change, and our proposal is evolving and not a final document."
As an example, he said the federation increased resources for organizing. "But we're heavily involved in motivating our affiliates (unions) to increase their resources for organizing, too," he added. He then pointed out that "We're committed as much as we can (be) to organizing and politics, too." The two go together, he stated.
Sweeney and his running mates admitted that disaffiliation, as threatened by four of the dissident unions, would, in his words, "make it tougher for the labor movement." He added that "our hope is that unions that have talked about disaffiliation will be able to discuss their issues with us" and agree not to leave.
But if they do go, "We will have to deal with disaffiliation at that time," he said, without giving details on how. In an interview afterwards, Trumka similarly said that there has been some thinking on how to deal with the consequences if any union pulls out. "But we go from that point to see what we're dealing with" as far as the federation's budget, structure and capabilities are concerned, he explained.
"Right now, we're focussing on labor solidarity and doing everything we can to make changes necessary for workers," he added.
Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.
For more informationFind out more about the debate within the labor movement in the Workday Minnesota special section, Labor's Future
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Stressing the need for labor unity in the face of an anti-worker federal government and business hostility, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and his ticket formally announced they would seek re-election to labor’s top posts.
Delegates to the federation’s convention, July 25-28 in Chicago, will vote on whether to retain Sweeney, Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and Executive Vice-President Linda Chavez-Thompson for another four years. At their June 20 press conference, the three claimed support from unions representing 63 percent of the federation’s 12.95 million members.
But if the three win at Chicago, they face potential withdrawal by up to four unions: The Service Employees and the United Food and Commercial Workers, which have already voted to leave should their reform demands fail, and UNITE HERE and the Teamsters. Combined, those unions have just over 4 million members.
“We have done what we promised we would do,” when their team ousted former AFL-CIO President Thomas Donahue a decade ago, said Trumka. He then ran through a list of achievements and initiatives ranging from establishing an organizing institute to increasing labor’s share of the electorate to leading campaigns against trade treaties and corporate greed.
Sweeney and Chavez-Thompson, citing their histories as fighters for workers, promised to continue and increase the efforts. “We’ll continue our direction to rebuild” the labor movement’s “power, moral force and numbers of union workers,” she said.
But in the face of all that, union membership in the private sector has continued to decline, to the point where unions represent only 1 of every 12 private industry workers and one of every 8 overall. That’s led dissidents to demand more resources, talent and money go to organizing, with unions assigned “core industries” and to lessen the emphasis on politics. Sweeney, looking forward, said unions must do both.
And to succeed in both organizing and politics, he added, unions must be unified–the theme of the re-election announcement. “I have no intention of backing down” from fighting for workers “just because the fight is getting tougher,” Sweeney said. “As long as I am president, our solidarity will never be sacrificed.”
Sweeney urged the dissident unions to concentrate their criticism and efforts on both anti-union companies–he named Wal-Mart and Verizon Wireless–and the Bush administration. “When we aim our guns, it shouldn’t be in a circle” at each other, he cautioned. Doing so would only aid labor’s political enemies, he warned.
“They hope like hell that our frustrations in the struggle to defeat them will somehow divide us,” he added.
But SEIU and UFCW have already voted to leave, or disaffiliate, should their plans for radical change fail in Chicago. Those plans include assigning “core industries” to specific unions, downgrading politics in favor of organizing, and incentives to merge unions without strategic organizing plans into larger unions.
And in their response to Sweeney’s formal re-election candidacy, the dissidents said “unity that does not unite workers to build power is a false unity. The AFL‑CIO officers’ approach is a status quo unity that will simply reinforce the trajectory of the last 10 years–declining union membership, fewer worker protections, and an enhanced political assault on working people at the federal, sttate and local levels.”
Sweeney responded that a changing work environment, including industry enemies, globalization and outsourcing, and a hostile federal government, demands the labor movement must change, too. And he said the AFL-CIO has already been “through a thoughtful and intensive process of discussing change, and our proposal is evolving and not a final document.”
As an example, he said the federation increased resources for organizing. “But we’re heavily involved in motivating our affiliates (unions) to increase their resources for organizing, too,” he added. He then pointed out that “We’re committed as much as we can (be) to organizing and politics, too.” The two go together, he stated.
Sweeney and his running mates admitted that disaffiliation, as threatened by four of the dissident unions, would, in his words, “make it tougher for the labor movement.” He added that “our hope is that unions that have talked about disaffiliation will be able to discuss their issues with us” and agree not to leave.
But if they do go, “We will have to deal with disaffiliation at that time,” he said, without giving details on how. In an interview afterwards, Trumka similarly said that there has been some thinking on how to deal with the consequences if any union pulls out. “But we go from that point to see what we’re dealing with” as far as the federation’s budget, structure and capabilities are concerned, he explained.
“Right now, we’re focussing on labor solidarity and doing everything we can to make changes necessary for workers,” he added.
Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.
For more information
Find out more about the debate within the labor movement in the Workday Minnesota special section, Labor’s Future