Laborers' Union Breaks Free From AFL-CIO

[Freddie Stubbs]

WASHINGTON - The Laborers' Union, which represents 700,000 workers in the construction industry, has decided to leave the AFL-CIO, officials said.

The Laborers were already part of the Change to Win coalition, breakaway unions that have left the giant federation of more than 50 unions in an effort to forge a new direction for organized labor. But the Laborers had remained in the federation.

"We are leaving so that we can place our full efforts and focus on growth in order to help millions of construction workers improve their lives," said Richard Greer, a spokesman for the Laborers. The Laborers informed the AFL-CIO Monday that they are leaving as of June 1.

The Laborers, the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, UNITE HERE, United Farm Workers and the Carpenters are part of the Change to Win coalition.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060522/ap_on_bi_ge/labor_rift

[FreakinDJ]

1. Which includes backing Republican candidates

Ouch.....

It is a double edged sword.

The division came long before the immigration debate began heating up and it was over being able to support Republican candidates. SEIU and the Carpenter's Union led the charge and no others are joining in. A majority of labor feels Democrats are merely taking their money and voting against their interest.

But yes the Labor's and SEIU are both pro-immigration and hope to gain membership

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Which Republican candidates?

[struggle4progress]

3. Strategic Organizing Center

The central objective of the Change to Win Strategic Organizing Center is to unite the more than 50 million American workers who work in industries that cannot be outsourced or shipped overseas into strong unions that can win them a place in the American middle class — where their jobs provide good wages, good health care, good pensions and a voice on the job.

Change to Win’s Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) develops and implements organizing campaigns to unite workers in these jobs to win better wages, benefits and working conditions — and to turn these jobs into good union jobs. The Strategic Organizing Center is a hub where Change to Win unions come together to integrate their organizing programs and to launch large scale organizing campaigns.

There was a time when blue-collar jobs in the auto, steel, electrical, rubber and other manufacturing industries were considered low wage jobs. Through union organization, these “low wage jobs” became “good paying jobs, with good benefits” that led to the creation of America’s middle class and defined the elements of the American Dream. Millions of those manufacturing jobs have been eliminated or shipped overseas in recent years.

Jobs in today’s growing service sector are the “low wage” jobs of today. Whether it is caring for the sick, attending to hotel guests, or transporting goods across the country, these jobs cannot be outsourced to foreign lands. They are critically important to the economy and to the quality of life in this country. And nowhere is it written that these jobs must be low wage-low benefit jobs. In fact, the wages and benefits of service workers that are represented by a union today are substantially higher than those that are not ...

http://www.changetowin.org/organizing.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Which Republican candidates?

[struggle4progress]

5. I didn't say anything about Republican candidates.

I really think the issue has always been organizing ...

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. SEIU endorsed Pataki in 2002

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Thank you for answering my question

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. SEIU backed a Republican for Miami Beach Commissioner last year

He almost won, which would have made him the first GOP Commissioner in that city in over 20 years.

[davsand]

10. Local races are endorsed at the local level, usually.

Local endorsement decisions are usually made by the local organizations or maybe at state level. National endorsements are usually made at the international level. In recent years the endorsements are not always a slam dunk for Dems, and frankly, in local races it probably should be decided based on the candidates' history with organized labor rather than on the party affiliation.

I've seen it locally that some of the Dems have been terrible on Labor issues. In a case like that, Labor and its members are better served to not blindly endorse based on party--don't you agree? Seems to me, that if the Unions are interested in serving the membership, they have an obligation to look long and hard at who they contribute to and who they endorse.

I'm not at all informed about that Miami Beach Commissioner's race, and as a result I am not able to offer much opinion about that particular endorsement. However, I am wondering about the personalities involved given what I know about the current environment for Labor...


Laura

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Thanks

[INdemo]

8. You are correct

The Carpenters union international President influenced the break because he was about to be indicted for insider trading (among other things)He sucked up to Bush and all of a sudden nothing more was heard about his criminal activity..The Carpenters pension is being siphoned away but no never mind as far the Republican administration goes.."just give us the money" and that's the way it is..
These leaders make Jimmy Hoffa look like a saint......

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Are they "pro-immigration" or pro-illegal immigration?

There is a big difference.