Four unions boycotting AFL-CIO meeting

Trouble is brewing within the ranks of labor:

Organized labor split into warring factions Sunday as four major unions staged a boycott of the AFL-CIO convention, poised to sever ties to the 50-year-old federation in a dispute over how to reverse the decades-long decline of union membership.

Dissident unions representing nearly one-third of the AFL-CIO's 13 million members, primarily in the service and retail industries, planned to announce the boycott late Sunday, several labor officials told The Associated Press. The convention was beginning Monday.

None of the four unions intended to cut ties immediately from the AFL-CIO, but the boycott makes that next step a high probability, officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss failed weekend negotiations to avoid the boycott.

We can only hope that the rift won't be too harmful:

A divided labor movement worries Democratic leaders who rely on the AFL-CIO's money and manpower on Election Day. Some said they could only hope that the battle jolts the House of Labor from its decades-only slump.

"Anything that sidetracks us from our goals ... is not healthy," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., chairman of the House campaign committee.

We agree. For a deeper and more thoughtful perspective, check out Oregon AFL-CIO President Tim Nesbitt's blog. Mr. Nesbitt is attending the AFL-CIO convention and offering us his thoughts and reflections. We defer to his expertise and follow his conclusions on this battle within the house of labor.