AFL-CIO puts limits on working with disaffiliated unions
By Michael Kuchta, St. Paul Union Advocate editor — July 28, 2005
CHICAGO — AFL-CIO leadership drew a hard line Thursday, saying that state
and local labor movements cannot take money or otherwise work officially
with union locals and councils belonging to internationals that are not
affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
When SEIU and the Teamsters withdrew from the AFL-CIO Monday, leaders stated publicly that they want to continue working with AFL-CIO state federations and central labor councils.But such “selective partnerships” are “a form of free ridership,” AFL-CIO
president John Sweeney told delegates Thursday, both in person and in a
three-page memo. “They can’t have it both ways.”
Such “selective buy-in” presents “a direct challenge to the principles of
unity and solidarity,” he said. “We will not permit their actions to
undermine our work or our resolve…. We will not allow this federation to be
turned into an open shop operation.”
No picking and choosing allowed
Specifically, Sweeney’s memo enforces several provisions of the federation’s
constitution. It:
* Prevents state and local bodies from accepting per capita payments or
their equivalent from unaffiliated unions after July 31.
* Requires state and local bodies to remove as officers and delegates any
members who belong to unaffiliated unions.
* Prevents unaffiliated unions from participating in candidate interviews,
political endorsements, or AFL-CIO political mobilization and education
activities.
Sweeney did say local AFL-CIO bodies can continue to work in “coalition”
with the members and locals of disaffiliated unions.
“I recognize and appreciate that hundreds of local unions of the
disaffiliated internationals have excellent working relationships with their
brothers and sisters in our local labor councils and state federations. The
disaffiliation of their unions is not their fault and does not make them any
less committed to the ideals and principles of our movement.”
But, he said, “we cannot allow these organizations to pick and choose which
parts of the federation they want to belong to.”
Limiting financial damage
Sweeney’s directives clarify one question of how the AFL-CIO will address
the impact that disaffiliation by Change to Win unions will have on the
ability of state and local bodies to achieve labor’s goals in their
communities.
The AFL-CIO’s Executive Council rushed through a number of plans this week
to limit the financial damage from disaffiliation. State and central bodies
were instructed to send “impact statements” to the federation to provide
specific data on the financial distress they face. Some central bodies, for
example, say they could lose half their income if they cannot take money
from disaffiliated unions.
The federation raised its monthly per capita fee on unions that do remain
affiliated. Eight cents of the increase will go to the federation’s own
budget gap; 4 cents per member per month will provide emergency funds for
state and local bodies and fight raiding on AFL-CIO unions by unaffiliated
unions.
AFL-CIO leaders further pledged that if they collect any of the $8.5 million
that Change to Win unions still owe the AFL-CIO in back dues, it will
dedicate that money to helping state and local movements.
Further, AFL-CIO leadership created a special committee to develop further
plans for dealing with the fallout of disaffiliation and to implement those
plans as soon as September.
Forcing affiliates to pony up
Central bodies managed to force into the convention spotlight a flip side of
the “free rider” argument — affiliated internationals that fail to guarantee
that their locals fully affiliate members at the state and local levels.
Sweeney encouraged internationals “to step up and help build a long-term,
sustainable plan for full and fair affiliation by all affiliated unions.”
At a regional meeting of central body leaders Wednesday night, AFL-CIO staff
said officers of several large internationals intend to make a “serious
commitment” to correct that problem.
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