[BRCLabor] Fwd: [gangbox] Fwd: SEIU Ready To Leave,
Start New Federation With Carpenters...
Bill Fletcher
BFletcher at transafricaforum.org
Mon Jun 13 17:19:55 EDT 2005
What is quite amazing about the SEIU statement is that while their original calls were for a stronger federation, what they are proposing to create sounds more like a coordinating committee (see, for example, what they propose will be done with the money saved from their per capita dues to the AFL-CIO; at best it is vague).
I continue to feel saddened and angered by the low level of actual discussion of real issues in this so-called debate. From a bad or poor analysis, generally comes bad strategy. Perhaps this is the reason that so many union activists are either disengaged from this so-called debate or angered by the direction that it has taken.
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
________________________________
From: brclabor-bounces at lists.blackradicalcongress.org [mailto:brclabor-bounces at lists.blackradicalcongress.org] On Behalf Of GREGORYABUTLER at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 1:04 AM
To: brclabor at lists.blackradicalcongress.org
Subject: [BRCLabor] Fwd: [gangbox] Fwd: SEIU Ready To Leave,Start New Federation With Carpenters...
In a message dated 6/12/05 12:49:11 AM Eastern Daylight Time, friscoworker at sbcglobal.net writes:
steve zeltzer <lvpsf at igc.org> wrote:Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 20:32:46 -0700
Subject: SEIU Ready To Leave, Start New Federation With Carpenters &Others
From: steve zeltzer <lvpsf at igc.org>
To: BALA2 <lvpsf at igc.org>
http://workinglife.typepad.com/daily_blog/2005/06/seiu_ready_to_l.html
June 11, 2005
SEIU Ready To Leave, Start New Federation
Not a surprise but yesterday the Service Employees Executive Board
unanimously approved a resolution
2005.doc>
taking SEIU one step closer to leaving the AFL-CIO. Without any
conditions, the resolution empowered the officers of the union to decide
when to leave the Federation.
As important, the resolution authorizes allocating additional
money--SEIU has already kicked in $100,000--to seed the beginning of a
new Federation. According to the resolution, the executive board
authorizes the officers to "...participate in the creation of a new
organization with some or all of our Coalition unions to promote
coordination, cooperation and collective action on organizing,
bargaining and political action on a local, national and global scale.
This organization, currently named the Change to Win Coalition, would
also be open to other unions, including the Carpenters, who share our
goals. It will enable this group of unions to carry out innovative
strategies to advance workers¹ interests. The founding convention is
scheduled for June 15, 2005. The Board authorizes the SEIU Executive
Officers to officially affiliate with this Organization at that time, or
as soon thereafter as the Executive Officers deem appropriate."
It's not called a new Federation but you know the quacking duck sound...
At the same time, the resolution offers, if SEIU pulled out of the
Federation, to continue to participate in Central Labor Councils, the
Federation's political program and any relevant departments. Obviously,
this part of the resolution was in direct response to John Sweeney's
recent letter
underscoring the Federation's policy that non-affiliated unions cannot
participate in Federation bodies.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of the resolution is the offer of a
blanket no-raiding clause to any union that wants to sign one with SEIU.
I pointed out
a couple of weeks ago that the real clue to whether SEIU was close to
disaffiliating would be the emergence of no-raid agreements between SEIU
and other unions. With this blanket offer, SEIU is basically saying,
"we're going but we're not interested in pissing anyone off." On the
other hand, SEIU's being prudent: it's also creating a legal defense
fund to ward off any raiding attempts.
As one high-ranking SEIU person told me, "We're really focused on the 91
percent of the workers who aren't in unions," referring to the dismal
percentage of current union members in the workforce...actually, it's
less than 8 percent in the private sector.
I'm told that there was a long discussion--without any specific
outcome--about whether to leave the AFL-CIO before or after the
Federation's convention in late July, where, unless something shocking
occurs, John Sweeney will be re-elected to another term--an act that
will trigger, if it hadn't already happened, SEIU's withdrawal. Of
course, it's possible that Sweeney and his supporters will make changes
that could satisfy SEIU. Uh, I'd invest that bet in Florida swampland if
I were you.
You can also read here a more detailed discussion of SEIU's perspective
about the whole debate in the form of a statement
102005.doc>
by its executive board--it reasserts points made before in documents
distributed by SEIU and its partner insurgents. However, it is worth
reading for the section that articulates what SEIU views as the
fundamental differences between its approach and the approach
articulated by Sweeney.
The other interesting piece of news: Joe Hansen, president of the UFCW,
attended the SEIU board meeting. His board will be meeting this coming
week to discuss whether to disaffiliate. He made a not-so-subtle hint at
that option in his recent letter
to Sweeney
Resolution on Action to Build New Labor Strength
Adopted by the SEIU International Executive Board
June 10, 2005
SEIU is committed to Building a Movement to Win for Working People.
Accordingly, the International Executive Board authorizes the following
actions in preparation for a future inside or outside the AFL-CIO.
1. The Board approves a continuing authorization for the International
President and Secretary-Treasurer to contribute significant financial
support, as needed, to a special joint account with the IBT, UNITE/HERE,
Laborers, and UFCW. This joint account is to advance a common program
for reform at the AFL-CIO. So far SEIU has contributed $100,000 to this
effort. Our financial support is to help fund the unions¹ campaign for
our platform as we head into the upcoming AFL-CIO convention and to
assure effective AFL-CIO leadership.
2. The Board authorizes the International Executive Officers to
participate in the creation of a new organization with some or all of
our Coalition unions to promote coordination, cooperation and collective
action on organizing, bargaining and political action on a local,
national and global scale. This organization, currently named the Change
to Win Coalition, would also be open to other unions, including the
Carpenters, who share our goals. It will enable this group of unions to
carry out innovative strategies to advance workers¹ interests. The
founding convention is scheduled for June 15, 2005. The Board authorizes
the SEIU Executive Officers to officially affiliate with this
Organization at that time, or as soon thereafter as the Executive
Officers deem appropriate.
3. The Board authorizes the SEIU Executive Officers to disaffiliate from
the AFL-CIO.
4. Should SEIU disaffiliate from the AFL-CIO, the Board endorses a
policy of cooperation, rather than confrontation, with the AFL-CIO and
its affiliates. For example, SEIU shall offer to cooperate with the
AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions on political issues important to
working families, and shall be prepared to contribute financially to the
AFL-CIO political program.
5. As a matter of precaution, the Board authorizes the establishment of
a special defense fund for use by our locals to counteract any raiding
activity which may develop. The Fund will be financed by the
re-directing up to twelve months of the initial savings of the per
capita tax (and assessments, if applicable) formerly paid to the
national federation of the AFL-CIO.
6. Thereafter, the Board authorizes the reallocation of the money saved
in former AFL-CIO per capita tax (and assessments, if applicable) to
support the Union¹s overall program efforts to build something stronger
for workers.
7. In the event of disaffiliation, the Board authorizes our local unions
to continue to offer to participate in AFL-CIO state federations and
central labor councils, after consulting with other SEIU local unions in
the same state or metropolitan area to insure that the Union speaks with
one voice regarding these decisions. Where unable to do so, the affected
locals should devote the monetary resources they save to continuing
their active outreach to other community-based organizations and allies.
SEIU local unions also are authorized to continue to offer to
participate in AFL-CIO trade and industrial departments.
8. Whether inside or outside the AFL-CIO, the International Union should
actively pursue and execute strategic unity agreements with other
international unions and national unions to cooperate on ways to help
workers form unions and negotiate better living standards. Where
applicable, this effort shall include no-raiding pacts to avoid dividing
worker strength or wasting workers¹ resources. In order to make sure the
Union carries out a coordinated approach, Locals must obtain
authorization from the International President before negotiating or
executing such agreements on a local or regional scale.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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