Personal animosity and policy disagreements among the nation’s top labor leaders have caused a dramatic split in the AFL-CIO, leading many supporters to fear that a splintered movement will be a weakened one.
It’s possible instead that the split will give labor leaders the jolt they need to update their movement to the benefit of working Americans seeking a secure place in the global economy.
The Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union bolted from the labor federation on Monday, taking 3.2 million of the AFL-CIO’s 13 million members.
The divisions in labor are borne of its precipitous decline in membership and influence. A half-century ago, more than a third of the U.S. workforce was organized. Union membership is now 12 percent – and just eight percent in the private sector.
Andy Stern, president of the 1.8 million- member SEIU, has led the dissidents, along with the Teamsters president James P. Hoffa. Stern, whose union is actually growing, says the goal is not to divide but to rebuild. His coalition, seven unions in all, want labor to address the challenges of a global economy and the imbalance of power between unions and management.
Their revolt is directed at AFL-CIO president John Sweeney. The splinter group blames Sweeney for focusing too much on building political clout, which hasn’t elected more Democrats or led to better labor laws. The group wants to focus instead on growing union membership through organizing campaigns at global companies like Wal-Mart, FedEx, telecom and cable firms and even Japanese, Korean and European auto plants in the United States.
History may offer a counter-lesson for those worried about the split.
Labor’s last big breakup came in 1938, when member unions of the American Federation of Labor broke away to form the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The two federations competed and registered big gains before reuniting in 1955.
In Colorado, there are worries that the rupture could shake union solidarity and influence future elections. U.S. Rep. John Salazar had a strong coalition of rural and union support when he was elected last year. His 3rd Congressional District includes Pueblo, a rare labor stronghold in a largely non-union state, and some supporters worry it will be harder to raise money when labor is fractured.
The union split will be mended sooner or later. In the meantime, both sides will be motivated to seek creative solutions to the challenges that beset the movement.
Labor leaders like to say they work for all workers, not just union members, and non-unionized workers shouldn’t forget that organized labor has made enormous contributions in areas such as safer workplaces, eight-hour days and fair vacations and benefits. We hope the sudden split will lead the movement to modernize, lest it continue to wither.
