Change to Win coalition forms new "parallel" labor movement
AFL-CIO conventions are usually a venue for labor unions across the country to bolster solidarity, form partnerships and build overall strength for the labor movement. But the 25th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention, held July 25-28 in Chicago, paradoxically served as the official stage on which two of the organization’s largest members officially separated from the AFL-CIO.
On July 25, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced their formal disaffiliation with the AFL-CIO. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) followed closely in secession, making its formal announcement on July 29. In a similar statement of unity with the Teamsters and SEIU, UNITE HERE (a merging of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union) boycotted the AFL-CIO convention.
SEIU President Andrew Stern cited several reasons for the disaffiliation, the most prominent being the AFL-CIO’s reported unwillingness to put more funding into increasing membership, while spending too much on political campaigns. Additional reasons include fewer wage increases, secure jobs and pensions, decreasing family time for workers, and rising debt and income inequality. In an effort to reverse these trends, the recently-disaffiliated union has formed the Change to Win Coalition, a parallel organization to the AFL-CIO comprised of the SEIU, the Teamsters, UNITE HERE, UFCW, the Laborer’s International Union of North America, the United Farm Workers of America and the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, which left the AFL-CIO five years ago.
NATCA President John Carr addressed the issue in a message to NATCA members after he and NATCA Executive Vice President Ruth Marlin returned from the AFL-CIO Convention in Chicago. “This schism in labor could not have come at a worse time,” Carr admitted. “Labor in this country faces pressure on every front. From the private sector to the federal government, the Wal-Martization of jobs in this country continues unchecked. Seventy-eight percent of private-sector employers require supervisors to deliver anti-union messages in one-on-one meetings with the workers they oversee. More than 70 percent of manufacturing employers tell workers they will shut down partially or totally if the employees succeed in forming a union. Even after workers successfully form a union, nearly half of the time, employers avoid negotiating a contract. I don’t know which is worse… avoiding bargaining on a contract or forcing your garbage work and pay rules on an unwilling workforce.”
Still, Carr remains optimistic about the overall state of the labor movement, mentioning that “in spite of the pressures labor faces, 53 percent of non-union workers say they want a union in their workplace.” Additionally, the overall success of the labor movement is reflected in the facts. As Carr noted, “union workers’ median weekly earnings are 28 percent higher than their nonunion counterparts. While only 16 percent of nonunion workers have guaranteed pensions, 70 percent of union workers do. Eighty-six percent of union jobs provide health insurance benefits.”
Similarly, the newly separated labor organizations appear to be taking the rift in stride. In fact, some Change to Win coalition members have not disaffiliated with the AFL-CIO, and the letter of disaffiliation from Stern emphasizes that SEIU and the other coalition members will continue participating in and supporting common efforts, local labor councils and even the AFL-CIO political program. They have also agreed not to raid brother and sister unions, thereby wasting resources on resolving disputes between existing union members rather than on acquiring new ones.
As AFL-CIO President John Sweeney acknowledged, “We respect every one of those who have heartfelt ideas that differ from ours, and recognize and appreciate that they too have devoted their lives to the union movement. But there comes a time where if we can’t reach agreement on basic principles, we should each devote our efforts and resources to pursuing strategies we believe will help working people navigate the rough waters of the global economy, while supporting each other’s efforts wherever we can.”
In a press conference on Aug. 30, Sweeney reinforced his stated belief in cooperation by pointing to several steps the AFL-CIO intends to take to strengthen the overall labor movement. Included were an increased budget for organizing efforts, the creation of mutual cooperation agreements with local and state factions of the disaffiliated unions, and the growth of “Working America,” an organization that recruits people who are not union members but still wish to work for issues important to all workers.
Ultimately, the very public rift between the Change to Win coalition and the AFL-CIO has indeed called into question the overall state of the labor movement. Yet it appears that labor organizations are still working for the same goals, as evidenced by both current employment statistics and the AFL-CIO and Change to Win coalition leaders’ pledges of continued cooperation. This should come as reassuring news for all union members. As Carr asserts, “You have been successful while your employers have not, and you are going to be here when they are not.”
