The death of the American labor movement

[DanS]

4 unions, including the Teamsters, are to split from AFL-CIO over priorities of the labor movement in the US. The rebels want to spend money on membership drives while the incumbents want to continue to spend the vast majority of member dues on democratic party politicking.

The rebels have been very aggressive in unionizing, and these unions are primarily in the growing service sector. Their success in unionizing has only been fair so far, but I think they have the right idea. According to the article below, only 8% of workers in the private sector are union, where it used to about 1/3rd of workers. And I think many union members believe that their leaders' are out of touch politically.

Here's a good article on the upcoming split...

Four Big Unions Boycott AFL-CIO Convention and May Split Away

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 25, 2005; Page A04

CHICAGO, July 24 -- Four major unions announced Sunday that they will boycott this week's AFL-CIO convention, and union officials said all four are likely to leave the AFL-CIO altogether, fracturing the federation that for 50 years has represented the U.S. labor movement.

The four unions say the AFL-CIO leadership has failed to stem a steady decline in the percentage of workers represented by unions and believe that AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney should have retired to let new leaders take charge. The dissidents say they want to restore the labor movement to a position of power in the political system and the economy.

"Today we have reached a point where our differences have become irresolvable," Anna Burger, a top official of the Service Employees International Union and chair of the insurgent Change to Win Coalition, said at a combination rally and news conference.

On Monday, the SEIU plans to announce its formal withdrawal from the AFL-CIO. "I don't see any change in course," said Andrew L. Stern, the SEIU president.

The presidents of the Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Workers signaled they are prepared to resign from the AFL-CIO. "Our differences are so fundamental and so principled that at this point I don't think there is a chance there will be a change of course," said UFCW President Joe Hansen. "We may have an announcement tomorrow."

Unite Here, which represents hotel, restaurant and garment workers, is also on the verge of leaving the federation. SEIU is the largest of the 56 unions in the AFL-CIO, and the four unions threatening to leave represent about a third of the 13 million union workers who are in the AFL-CIO and pay about a third of the dues to finance the federation's $120 million annual budget.

Stern has led an insurrection calling for major reorganization and strengthening of the powers of the AFL-CIO. Sweeney was Stern's mentor in the labor movement and his predecessor as SEIU president.

Stern contends that to survive, unions must be merged into much larger, but fewer, organizations equipped to take on global companies and large chains, especially Wal-Mart. In addition, Stern contends that union organizing efforts must be carefully segmented by industry sector to prevent wasteful inter-union competition and to ensure that specific unions are given the responsibility to build strength and density in specific areas, such as health care, retail services or transportation.

The labor schism threatens to leave this critical wing of the Democratic Party split for the election of 2006 and probably 2008. Organized labor contributes tens of millions of dollars and workers for Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts.

Sweeney, 71, has rejected calls to retire and attacked the convention boycott as "an insult [to] union brothers and sisters, and to all working people. . . . It's fundamentally wrong to use working people's issues as a fig leaf for a power struggle."

For the past nine months, Sweeney and his allies have been meeting with leaders of the unions in the Change to Win Coalition in an effort to broker a compromise.

Coalition leader Burger on Sunday described those negotiations as fruitless. "The language of our reforms has been adopted, but not the substance. Our principles have been watered down and papered over. . . . Workers cannot afford half measures."

At an earlier rally in support of his reelection, Sweeney told more than 900 cheering and chanting supporters: "We are here for each other. We're here for our sisters and brothers all over America who are struggling to win their right to organize . . . with the most powerful weapon we have -- our solidarity."

To applause and shouts, Sweeney declared: "Common sense tells us that a union movement divided against itself risks losing the fight for workers' rights."

The decision to boycott the convention angered leaders and ranking officials of the unions that plan to remain in the federation. Edward J. McElroy, president of the American Federation of Teachers, accused Stern and his allies of bargaining in bad faith. "Their stance was that unless you agree with their position, they won't make an agreement," he said.

R. Thomas Buffenbarger, president of the Machinists, said Stern and other dissidents "showed total disrespect for their colleagues who sat through the negotiations."

In addition to the four unions likely to leave the AFL-CIO, two others, the United Farm Workers and the Laborers International Union, have joined the Change to Win Coalition. These two unions are not boycotting the convention, but their presidents pointedly did not rule out leaving the AFL-CIO in the near future.

Terence M. O'Sullivan, president of the Laborers, told reporters that they "should not take" the decision against boycotting the convention as a sure sign his union will stay in the AFL-CIO. Instead, he said, "we stand shoulder to shoulder in unity and solidarity" with the other members of the coalition.

[Spiffor]

How does it mark the death of the labor movement? It might well announce a renewal of the labour movement, as the splitters seem to be primarily from the service sector, the sector where unions are dramatically underrepresented.

And I agree with their idea that union money should be used by the union, rather than by the Democrats.

[DanS]

The risk is that the unions both will lose their political patrons and will be unable to contain the slide in membership. Having a split may reduce effectiveness in both areas, leading to the swirling drain for the labor movement in the private sector.

[Frankychan]

I was assured that they are still in talks and that some of the organizations in the union were threatening to walk. That would really screw with the weight of the AFL-CIO.

Those traitors! They're gonna screw everything up (I'm in the freakin AFL-CIO!!!)

....although they do have a good point about restoring power to us.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by DanS
The risk is that the unions both will lose their political patrons and will be unable to contain the slide in membership. Having a split may reduce effectiveness in both areas, leading to the swirling drain for the labor movement in the private sector.

Yup, that's the risk.

With the AFL-CIO led by a 71 years-old and a continuous loss of membership, however, the fall into irrelevance is not a risk, but a certainty.

[Frankychan]

Originaly posted by DanS


The decision to boycott the convention angered leaders and ranking officials of the unions that plan to remain in the federation. Edward J. McElroy, president of the American Federation of Teachers, accused Stern and his allies of bargaining in bad faith. "Their stance was that unless you agree with their position, they won't make an agreement," he said.

R. Thomas Buffenbarger, president of the Machinists, said Stern and other dissidents "showed total disrespect for their colleagues who sat through the negotiations."

Good for them. I'm sure our local HSTA would agree (Hawaii State Teachers Association). The dissident union leaders are not playing smart. And basically slapping the rest of us in the face.

[techumseh]

The strategy of political support for the Democrats has been a failure since the days of Ronald Reagan. Even when the Democrats win, the policies which they follow are only marginally better than the Republicans.

That said, a major split in the AFL-CIO should be avoided if at all possible.

[Frankychan]

Originally posted by techumseh
The strategy of political support for the Democrats has been a failure since the days of Ronald Reagan. Even when the Democrats win, the policies which they follow are only marginally better than the Republicans.

That said, a major split in the AFL-CIO should be avoided if at all possible.

Depends on what you call 'failure'. On a national level, I'd say there have been gains, but not as much as they would like.

Most of the union support and it's effects are done at the state, city, and local level. Would probably have to make the union heads change priorities on the national level. I'm thinking most of the heads have been looking locally when they should be thinking larger.

[Dracon II]

I think the dissidents are right about focusing on membership. Unlike big business, worker power over Government consists in it's ability to strike and it's electoral muscle. For that they need numbers. It's a pity that they've split though.

I have an unrelated question. Have unions become multinational in the EU?

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Dracon II
I have an unrelated question. Have unions become multinational in the EU?

Not yet.

They have begun organizing at a supranational level, but there are still very strong differences between labour traditions.

I think the European labour unions will progress as more companies will hit their workers in all of Europe at the same time. For the time being, the difference in legislations and local interests make a common European stance uncommon.

[Frankychan]

better question:

Is there an international labor union?

[Dracon II]

Originally posted by Frankychan
better question:

Is there an international labor union?

true.

Did you read my other thread?

[Ted Striker]

.

[Frankychan]

Originally posted by Dracon II


true.

Did you read my other thread?

Got a link?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Krugman seems to think that golabalisation will change politics in the US. instead of democract/ republican split as they have now, it will change to a winners/ losers party system, where the winners of globalisation (northeast and west coast liberals along with business/ wall street republicans) will join together while the losers (unions, farmers, middle america) will come together.