:: rawblogXport ::

:: Thursday, February 24, 2005 ::

Labor Debates Its Future David Moberg, The Nation, Yahoo News
In the summer of 2003, four other unions--HERE (hotel workers), UNITE (historically garment and textile workers), the Laborers, and the Carpenters (which had already left the AFL-CIO)--formed the New Unity Partnership (NUP) to cooperate on organizing. Then, last summer, Stern told his convention that either the AFL-CIO had to change or SEIU would form something better, raising the specter of a split in organized labor like John L. Lewis's departure from the AFL in 1935 to form the new CIO.

The threat infuriated many in the labor movement, even some who partly agreed with Stern. 'Labor unity is the most precious thing we've got with Bush in the White House,' says Paul Booth, assistant to president Gerald McEntee of AFSCME (public employees). 'We look askance at people who talk about pulling out.' At Sweeney's urging, union leaders postponed internal debate to focus energy on defeating Bush, but the Machinists replied with their own threat to pull out of the AFL-CIO if Stern's ideas prevailed. When Stern tried to raise his proposals again after the election, discussion at an AFL-CIO executive council meeting was cut short, and he figured the odds were rising that SEIU would leave the federation.

posted 1:32 PM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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