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:: Friday, August 06, 2004 ::

Needed: AFL-CIO Leaders That Can Energize and Involve Workers LaborTalk By Harry Kelber
The choice of a new AFL-CIO leadership should not be left to back-room deals by the leaders of big unions. A "Palace Revolution" with some of the same old faces and one-track minds won't solve the problems that ail the labor movement.

Union leaders who aspire to a top AFL-CIO position should campaign for it, not have it bestowed upon them by a hierarchical group of kingmakers. They should state on the Internet and in public appearances before union audiences why they deserve to be honored with a leadership position.

One essential reform that neither Stern or any other major labor leader has mentioned is the need to change the convention voting system that gives a delegate from one of the large unions as many as 30,000 votes, while hundreds of delegates are limited to one vote each.

Candidates for high office should be required to publicly pledge their support for a "One Delegate, One Vote" convention rule and any other reform to ensure a free and fair election.

A few Old Guard union leaders want to postpone all talk about reforming the AFL-CIO until after the November presidential elections. But there is no reason to believe that union people can't carry on both activities at the same time. Sweeney felt the same way when he announced his candidacy for re election more than 20 months ago.

The 51 members of the Executive Council have held office for nine years, but union members don't know who most of them are or what they do, because they were all elected and re-elected en masse without ever having to utter a word about their qualifications.
If we're going to restructure the AFL-CIO, we have to make sure that elections to the Council are open and fair, and that each candidate must offer evidence why he or she is worthy to be chosen.

So let the debate begin.

posted 6:25 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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