WASHINGTON — The clash between pro-union protesters and Republican leaders in Wisconsin could spark a resurgence of the American labor movement, the head of the nation’s largest labor federation said Tuesday.
AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said the effort to strip collective-bargaining rights from public workers in Wisconsin and other states has brought a level of excitement to unions that he hasn’t seen in years.
“We’ve never seen the incredible solidarity that we’re seeing right now,” Trumka told reporters at the federation’s annual meeting of union leaders.
Trumka said he hopes to tap into that enthusiasm to help spur union growth after decades of decline.
He also wants to use the moment to help define unions in a way that could bring renewed support. He pointed to a New York Times-CBS poll that shows Americans oppose efforts to weaken the collective- bargaining rights of public-employee unions by a nearly 2-1 ratio.
“People are giving us another look now,” he said. “It’ll be up to us to keep it going and continue defining ourselves in ways the American public will support.”
The Associated Press
