Labor, With Union Membership Declining, Will Woo Non-Workers

[Purveyor]

LOS ANGELES — The AFL-CIO on Monday opened the door to becoming a group that is more representative of the left than of its members.

Facing what AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka called a “crisis” of membership, officials took the dramatic step at their annual convention of adopting a resolution that invites anyone in the country to join, regardless of union affiliation.

The move faced stiff resistance from union officials who fear the AFL-CIO’s primary mission of representing workers will be left behind if the federation becomes a mouthpiece for liberal and progressive groups. Despite the resistance, the resolution was adopted without a single “nay” vote being heard in the convention hall.

Supporters of the move to a broader membership standard said the AFL-CIO can no longer define itself by the narrow collective bargaining laws that are being challenged across the country.

“This resolution issues an invitation to every worker in the United States to join the movement for social justice,” said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). “The freedom to choose to be part of this movement must be a freedom available to every worker.”


Read more: http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/321225-labor-opens-doors-to-non-workers-to-bulk-up-as-membership-declines#ixzz2eVzhBS95

[factsarenotfair]

1. Can someone explain this to me? I don't understand it.

"The move faced stiff resistance from union officials who fear the AFL-CIO’s primary mission of representing workers will be left behind if the federation becomes a mouthpiece for liberal and progressive groups. Despite the resistance, the resolution was adopted without a single “nay” vote being heard in the convention hall."

[global1]

2. I've Posted This A Number Of Times Before - Perhaps This Seed On An Idea Sparked AFL-CIO Into....

this action. Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3569164

A "National Workers Association".

[factsarenotfair]

3. But why was there "stiff resistance from union officials" without one nay vote?

?

[Egalitarian Thug]

4. K&R #5. I think this is a step in the right direction. After more than half a century

of anti-labor legislation being churned out at both the state and federal levels, the unions must dramatically change how they operate if they are to retain any relevance whatsoever.