AFL-CIO close to collapsing
America's union movement is in deep, deep trouble.
Internal struggles and bickering have in recent months sharply divided the labor coalition that makes up the AFL-CIO.
The story of why the unions are fighting each other is a long one, but it basically comes down to principles and leadership. The SEIU, one of the largest unions in the AFL-CIO, along with four other major unions, is unhappy with the current leadership of John Sweeney, and wants more attention and resources to be spent on organizing.
The Washington Post reported yesterday:
What's going to happen to the AFL-CIO, and the regional Washington State Labor Council, if five major unions secede and take their members with them?
We're not going to take sides, but it seems to us that if there's going to be a big secession, the possibility of further fractures is very real and possible. There may in fact be contingents within the seceding unions that will want to stay within the AFL-CIO. Would those groups try to break out of the seceding unions and rejoin the AFL-CIO?
And once the AFL-CIO breaks up, will more unions pull out of the AFL-CIO? Will they reorganize in order to compete with the new union federation the SEIU seems determined to create?
Nothing good can come out of this struggle. Labor's troubles will only worsen as the bickering and disunity increases. Someone needs to step forward and play the role of peacemaker. And unions need to be democratic. The SEIU and the other four unions shouldn't be leaving the SEIU unless a majority of their members approve.
As we watch from the sidelines, we can only lament the fact that all this infighting is occurring, at a critical time when we need to be moving forward and fighting back against Republican attacks. For those interested, more information on the debate can be found here.
Internal struggles and bickering have in recent months sharply divided the labor coalition that makes up the AFL-CIO.
The story of why the unions are fighting each other is a long one, but it basically comes down to principles and leadership. The SEIU, one of the largest unions in the AFL-CIO, along with four other major unions, is unhappy with the current leadership of John Sweeney, and wants more attention and resources to be spent on organizing.
The Washington Post reported yesterday:
The Service Employees International Union yesterday took the first concrete step toward breaking up the AFL-CIO, the nation's central labor federation.As a group of outsiders looking in, we have to ask: Is the end of a united labor coalition near?
The SEIU executive board, at a meeting in San Francisco, authorized union leaders to quit the federation. As many as four other unions -- the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, Unite Here and the Laborers -- could follow suit, pulling out 5 million of the AFL-CIO's 13 million members.
What's going to happen to the AFL-CIO, and the regional Washington State Labor Council, if five major unions secede and take their members with them?
We're not going to take sides, but it seems to us that if there's going to be a big secession, the possibility of further fractures is very real and possible. There may in fact be contingents within the seceding unions that will want to stay within the AFL-CIO. Would those groups try to break out of the seceding unions and rejoin the AFL-CIO?
And once the AFL-CIO breaks up, will more unions pull out of the AFL-CIO? Will they reorganize in order to compete with the new union federation the SEIU seems determined to create?
Nothing good can come out of this struggle. Labor's troubles will only worsen as the bickering and disunity increases. Someone needs to step forward and play the role of peacemaker. And unions need to be democratic. The SEIU and the other four unions shouldn't be leaving the SEIU unless a majority of their members approve.
As we watch from the sidelines, we can only lament the fact that all this infighting is occurring, at a critical time when we need to be moving forward and fighting back against Republican attacks. For those interested, more information on the debate can be found here.
