Hundreds of union member/delegates have gathered in Chicago to take part in the AFL-CIO's 25th Constitutional Convention from July 25th–28th. The Convention marks the 50th anniversary of the merging of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. On the opening day, two of the largest unions in the A.F.L.-C.I.O. - the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters - said that they are leaving the federation. Although the announcement was anticipated, it still shocked the world as it underscored a major schism in the national labor movement. This occurred 3 days after the United Farm Workers joined the Teamsters, the SEIU, and other major unions in the Change to Win Coalition | Read more

On the second day of the conference, the AFL-CIO passed a resolution stating that the US troops should be brought home as soon as possible. The resolution also states "No foreign policy can be sustained without the informed consent of the American people. The American people were misinformed before the war began and have not been informed about the reality on the ground and the very difficult challenges that lie ahead." Us Labor Against War statement.

Conference Updates: Audio from 7/25 | Pre-conference audio

On Sunday, July 24th, 2005, a meeting of labor activists from around the United States took place in Chicago, across town from where the AFL-CIO Convention was set to take place. The 'Rank and File Conference to Take Back our Unions' declared its intention to "Take Back Our Unions" from the clutches of the highly paid union 'business executives' who have taken control of the "once proud and powerful American Labor Movement." This gathering was organized by the Labor Action Coalition. Read more

On Thursday, July 28th, a labor conference entitled "Democracy and Divisions in the House of Labor" will be held at California State University Sacramento.

Read more updates on Chicago Indymedia