AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO stands for "American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations". It is America's largest federation of labor unions, made up of 53 national and international (including Canadian) unions, together representing over 9 million workers. The AFL-CIO was formed in 1955 when the AFL and CIO merged after a long estrangement. From 1955 until 2005, the AFL-CIO's member unions represented virtually all unionized workers in the United States. A 2005 split left the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), with over a million members, the largest union in the federation.

Internal splits

The AFL-CIO began an intense internal debate over the future of the labor movement in the United States in 2003, with the creation of the New Unity Partnership (NUP), a loose coalition of some of the AFL-CIO's largest unions. This debate intensified in 2004, after the defeat of labor-backed candidate John Kerry in the November 2004 U.S. presidential election. The NUP's program for reform of the federation included reduction of the central bureaucracy, more money spent on organizing new members rather than on electoral politics, and a restructuring of unions and locals, eliminating some smaller locals and focusing more along the lines of industrial unionism.

Related Topics:
New Unity Partnership - John Kerry - November 2004 U.S. presidential election - Industrial unionism

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, the NUP dissolved and the Change to Win Coalition formed, threatening to secede from the AFL-CIO if its demands for major reorganization were not met. As the AFL-CIO prepared for its 50th anniversary convention in late July, three of the federations' four largest unions announced their withdrawal from the federation: the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ("The Teamsters"), and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). The Laborers' International Union of North America and the United Farm Workers remain members of both the AFL-CIO and Change to Win.

Related Topics:
Change to Win Coalition - Service Employees International Union - International Brotherhood of Teamsters - United Food and Commercial Workers International Union - Laborers' International Union of North America - United Farm Workers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In addition to the issues listed above, the dispute was seen as deeply personal. SEIU President Andy Stern, the most outspoken leader of the Change to Win coalition, was once considered the protege of former SEIU President and current AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney.

Related Topics:
Andy Stern - John J. Sweeney

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~