Unions Support Plan to Cut A.F.L.-C.I.O. Contributions

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/19/politics/19labor.html


Stephan Savoia/Associated Press
John J. Sweeney has been A.F.L.-C.I.O. president since 1995.

Unions Support Plan to Cut A.F.L.-C.I.O. Contributions
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: February 19, 2005

any of the nation's largest labor unions, including the Teamsters and Service Employees International Union, are pushing a plan to cut in half most unions' contributions to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and instead devote the money to organizing workers, several labor leaders said yesterday.

With union membership and power steadily declining, such a move would in theory increase membership, although it would weaken the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and force it to lay off many employees.

The push for these changes comes as a few union presidents are quietly maneuvering to persuade John J. Sweeney, the federation's president, not to run for a new four-year term.

At a meeting in Washington on Thursday, the presidents of several major labor unions backed a Teamsters-led plan to cut contributions to the federation, hoping the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s executive council will approve the plan at its meeting in Las Vegas in early March.

story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/19/politics/19labor.html

not that the NYT would know of this, and their spin is amazing... In These times covered this well

will it help or hurt in the next elections for congress?

The big question is will this help or hurt the labor movement and stop its decline.

The labor movement now represents only 7.9% of private sector workers. The smallest percentage since 1901!

And while the labor movement has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to candidates in recent national elections, its political power and influence is also at an all-time low.

The NYT once had a reporter dedicated just to labor union issues - the great A.H. Raskin. Now they have ten reporters dedicated to "the Market" - how Times have changed.

Andy Stern should get Sweeney's job.