Home > AFL-CIO Leader Reaches Out to Affiliates
Un/Employment Trade unions USA
By WILL LESTER
WASHINGTON — AFL-CIO President John Sweeney proposed Wednesday allowing affiliates of several breakaway national unions to continue working with the labor federation locally.
After the Teamsters and the service workers union split from the AFL-CIO in late July, Sweeney announced that the federation’s constitution would not allow them to have any role in groups like state labor federations and central organizing councils — groups that are key to local unions’ political clout and organizing strategies.
Several days after the two dissident unions separated from the AFL-CIO, the United Food and Commercial Workers followed suit. The departure of the federation’s three largest unions meant the AFL-CIO would lose close to $28 million of its estimated $120 million budget and more than 4 million of its 13 million members. A couple of other dissident unions, Unite Here and the Laborers, have not left the labor federation.
The breakaway unions complained that the AFL-CIO has not put enough emphasis on organizing membership and too much on political campaigns.
"It’s not these locals’ fault that their national unions left the AFL-CIO and it’s not working people’s fault," Sweeney said in a statement Wednesday. "They shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of a decision by their leadership."
On Wednesday, Sweeney asked members of the AFL-CIO’s executive council to approve the plan that would let local affiliates stay involved with other federation unions through "solidarity charters." The executive council’s decision could come in a few days.
Local affiliates could join the state federations and central labor councils through those charters by paying a fee that would vary depending on the region. They also would pay a 10 percent "solidarity bonus" to help cover the costs of services and support from the national AFL-CIO.
The Teamsters welcome the opportunity for their local affiliates to stay involved in central labor councils and other local labor groups, said spokeswoman Leigh Strope.
"We’ve encouraged all of our locals to continue working with all of the labor organizations in their area," Strope said. "There has been a backlash from state and local leaders against the AFL-CIO and their vindictive demands."
Local labor federations and councils play key roles in city and state politics and local economic projects, said John Ryan, executive secretary of the Cleveland AFL-CIO.
Locals that get solidarity charters would have to honor basic rules such as agreeing to participate in political mobilization efforts, support other union members on strike, and not to raid other unions for members.
Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, said the federation made the charters available after "hearing from local union leaders that they still wanted to participate in some way" with the AFL-CIO’s local organizations. He said it would provide a way for local unions to build grass-roots strength.
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