The Militant - October 10, 2005 -- At St. Louis meeting, 7 unions found new labor federation

Vol. 69/No. 39 October 10, 2005

At St. Louis meeting, 7 unions found new labor federation
(front page)

BY JACOB PERASSO
ST. LOUIS—Some 800 trade unionists met here September 27, at a one-day convention, to found the Change to Win Federation, a new U.S. labor union organization. Expanding union organizing efforts was the central theme of the gathering. It was pointed to in speeches by the seven major union presidents in attendance and in resolutions adopted by the convention. Several union-organizing campaigns were given prominence in the proceedings.

The 460 delegates to the convention came from the seven major unions that make up the new federation: International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Farm Workers, and the garment, textile, and hotel workers union UNITE HERE. Most delegates were local officers or staffers of the unions. A few dozen rank-and-file unionists attended the gathering as guests.

The convention elected Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of the SEIU, as chairperson of the new federation. Edgar Romney, executive vice president of UNITE HERE, was elected secretary-treasurer of the organization.

The new federation comes out of the AFL-CIO. Although the carpenters’ union has not been part of that labor body for some time, all of the other unions have recently disaffiliated or say they plan to leave the AFL-CIO. Change to Win union leaders described the AFL-CIO as unresponsive to the needs of workers today and bureaucratic.

“Nine out of every 10 American workers are not in a union,” Burger said in her opening remarks describing the state of the labor movement today. “We are growing smaller and our voices weaker.” The resolutions adopted by the convention pledged to reverse this situation by making organizing the top priority of the federation. Interspersed with the presentation of each of the founding resolutions, speakers at the convention highlighted organizing struggles the affiliated unions are involved in.

Cintas laundry workers spoke, as did school bus drivers from a number of states, New York City laborers, and meat packers from Tar Heel, North Carolina.

WalMart, described by SEIU president Andrew Stern as the largest employer in 25 states and leader of “the race to the bottom for American workers,” was mentioned often as a target of the union movement. No specific organizing effort at the company was projected, however.

Each of the presidents of the affiliated unions pledged their support for organizing efforts. Teamsters president James Hoffa said his union is committed to organizing port drivers on both coasts, among other union campaigns.

“We are hoping this new labor federation means more support for our struggles,” said Milagro Pérez, a member of UFCW Local 440 in Denison, Iowa, who works at the Smithfield meat packing plant there. Pérez was working with Lorna Ramos, a worker from the Tar Heel, North Carolina, Smithfield plant, to present to the gathering information about the union struggle there. Ramos was fired by Smithfield for her union-organizing activities and is now working as a UFCW organizer at Tar Heel.

The convention was a major media event. Newspapers from around the country sent reporters to cover the founding of the new labor federation.

Related articles:
St. Louis: dozens endorse Militant Fighting Fund

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