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Will the AFL-CIO Split? A Debate on the Future of Organized Labor
As the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization, heads to its convention, we host a debate on the future of organized labor. We speak with Karen Ackerman, political director of the AFL-CIO, Chris Chafe, Chief of Staff at UNITE HERE as well as Kim Moody, co-founder of the rank and file newsletter Labor Notes and professor at Brooklyn College.
The labor movement brought American workers the forty-hour week, pensions, healthcare, and basic rights on the job. From a high point of 22.8 million union members in 1978, the ranks of organized labor have dwindled to 15.5 million in 2004. Now, with less bargaining power and a deindustrialized service-based economy, the labor movement is in the throes of a debate over how to build for the future.
The venerable American Federation of Labor may face the largest rupture in its history next week. In March, five of the AFL-CIO's largest affiliate unions criticized the leadership of federation president John Sweeney. Together the Service Employees, Teamsters, United Food and Commercial Workers, Laborers, and UNITE HERE represent 40% of the AFL's membership and most of their workers are in rapidly expanding service sectors where low-wage immigrant workers of color have won some hard fought union battles in recent years. Last month the five unions launched the Change to Win Coalition, which is threatening to split from the AFL-CIO if their demands are not met at the annual convention next week in Chicago
The Change to Win platform revolves around the premise that the AFL should direct more resources towards organizing new workers than lobbying Washington politicians. But the AFL leadership charges that effective organizing can't happen without a more favorable political climate...which requires leverage in Washington. Meanwhile other labor activists question whether renewed organizing could even be successful unless current union members are mobilized and unions democratize their own structures.
Today, we host a roundtable on the potential split in the AFL-CIO and the future of the labor movement.
* Kim Moody, co-founder of the rank and file newsletter "Labor Notes," professor at Brooklyn College and Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is author of "Workers In A Lean World: Unions In The International Economy."
* Chris Chafe, Chief of Staff at UNITE HERE.
* Karen Ackerman, Political Director of the AFL-CIO.
LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/22/143200
The venerable American Federation of Labor may face the largest rupture in its history next week. In March, five of the AFL-CIO's largest affiliate unions criticized the leadership of federation president John Sweeney. Together the Service Employees, Teamsters, United Food and Commercial Workers, Laborers, and UNITE HERE represent 40% of the AFL's membership and most of their workers are in rapidly expanding service sectors where low-wage immigrant workers of color have won some hard fought union battles in recent years. Last month the five unions launched the Change to Win Coalition, which is threatening to split from the AFL-CIO if their demands are not met at the annual convention next week in Chicago
The Change to Win platform revolves around the premise that the AFL should direct more resources towards organizing new workers than lobbying Washington politicians. But the AFL leadership charges that effective organizing can't happen without a more favorable political climate...which requires leverage in Washington. Meanwhile other labor activists question whether renewed organizing could even be successful unless current union members are mobilized and unions democratize their own structures.
Today, we host a roundtable on the potential split in the AFL-CIO and the future of the labor movement.
* Kim Moody, co-founder of the rank and file newsletter "Labor Notes," professor at Brooklyn College and Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is author of "Workers In A Lean World: Unions In The International Economy."
* Chris Chafe, Chief of Staff at UNITE HERE.
* Karen Ackerman, Political Director of the AFL-CIO.
LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/22/143200
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