The unions of the AFL-CIO took sides in a critical vote Wednesday, but it appears the real showdown on the labor movement's future will come at the national federation's convention in July.
National union leaders, meeting at the quarterly Executive Council meeting of the AFL-CIO in Las Vegas, defeated a Teamster plan to cut payments to the federation and devote the money to organizing efforts, media websites and bloggers reported Wednesday night.
Reuters news service said the vote against the Teamsters plan was 15-7 in the AFL-CIO Executive Committee. It said the group instead backed a proposal by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to return some money to unions for organizing but use the rest for political action.
The votes come after months of heated debate among AFL-CIO-affiliated unions and members about the direction and future of the labor movement. A group of union leaders, led by Teamsters President James Hoffa and Service Employees International Union President Andrew Stern, have waged a very public campaign for change.
Lining up to support the Teamsters plan were the SEIU, United Food & Commercial Workers, UNITE-HERE, Laborers and the United Auto Workers, according to blogger Jonathan Tasini, the former president of the National Writers Union. If true, the addition of the UAW to this voting bloc would be a new development.
The Teamsters proposal would have reduced union funding to the AFL-CIO by about $45 million, according to Reuters, while Sweeney's proposal was to provide $15 million to unions for organizing and retain the rest to support labor-endorsed candidates and voter turnout efforts.
Numerous individuals and organizations ? from rank-and-file members to large unions and constituency groups ? have drafted proposals outlining the direction they believe the AFL-CIO should take. The discussion has been prompted by labor's decline in recent years as a percentage of the workforce ? only one out of every eight workers is a union member ? the challenges posed by globalization, and the election of George W. Bush and other anti-worker politicians.
This year's AFL-CIO national convention, coming 50 years after the historic merger of the AFL and CIO that created the current federation, could be pivotal. The convention is scheduled for July in Chicago.
While Sweeney came out ahead in the vote in Las Vegas, he cannot afford to be complacent, Tasini wrote in his blog.
"While some may view this as a defeat?and certainly this group of dissenters was not victorious today?if I were John Sweeney, I'd be a bit concerned," he said. "There is a long time between this meeting and the AFL-CIO convention in July . . . Look for a careful campaign to start today to persuade other unions to back either part or all of the Teamsters' proposals."
For more information
Visit the special Workday Minnesota section, Labor's Future
Visit Tasini's blog site, www.workinglife.org
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The unions of the AFL-CIO took sides in a critical vote Wednesday, but it appears the real showdown on the labor movement’s future will come at the national federation’s convention in July.
National union leaders, meeting at the quarterly Executive Council meeting of the AFL-CIO in Las Vegas, defeated a Teamster plan to cut payments to the federation and devote the money to organizing efforts, media websites and bloggers reported Wednesday night.
Reuters news service said the vote against the Teamsters plan was 15-7 in the AFL-CIO Executive Committee. It said the group instead backed a proposal by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to return some money to unions for organizing but use the rest for political action.
The votes come after months of heated debate among AFL-CIO-affiliated unions and members about the direction and future of the labor movement. A group of union leaders, led by Teamsters President James Hoffa and Service Employees International Union President Andrew Stern, have waged a very public campaign for change.
Lining up to support the Teamsters plan were the SEIU, United Food & Commercial Workers, UNITE-HERE, Laborers and the United Auto Workers, according to blogger Jonathan Tasini, the former president of the National Writers Union. If true, the addition of the UAW to this voting bloc would be a new development.
The Teamsters proposal would have reduced union funding to the AFL-CIO by about $45 million, according to Reuters, while Sweeney’s proposal was to provide $15 million to unions for organizing and retain the rest to support labor-endorsed candidates and voter turnout efforts.
Numerous individuals and organizations ? from rank-and-file members to large unions and constituency groups ? have drafted proposals outlining the direction they believe the AFL-CIO should take. The discussion has been prompted by labor’s decline in recent years as a percentage of the workforce ? only one out of every eight workers is a union member ? the challenges posed by globalization, and the election of George W. Bush and other anti-worker politicians.
This year’s AFL-CIO national convention, coming 50 years after the historic merger of the AFL and CIO that created the current federation, could be pivotal. The convention is scheduled for July in Chicago.
While Sweeney came out ahead in the vote in Las Vegas, he cannot afford to be complacent, Tasini wrote in his blog.
“While some may view this as a defeat?and certainly this group of dissenters was not victorious today?if I were John Sweeney, I’d be a bit concerned,” he said. “There is a long time between this meeting and the AFL-CIO convention in July . . . Look for a careful campaign to start today to persuade other unions to back either part or all of the Teamsters’ proposals.”
For more information
Visit the special Workday Minnesota section, Labor’s Future
Visit Tasini’s blog site, www.workinglife.org