WHEREAS:
One year ago, here in Chicago, a number of unions walked out of the AFL-CIO and formed the “Change to Win” coalition; and

WHEREAS:
This was done at a time of extreme peril for labor, with anti-union forces poised to roll back our rights and willing and able to exploit such divisions; and

WHEREAS:
The ostensible reasons for the split were not persuasive to our union at the time, and claims of benefits to labor have not been borne out; and

WHEREAS:
In order to forestall potential harms from the split, AFSCME has worked overtime and gone the extra mile to prevent raiding, political action at cross-purposes, duplication of structures and the weakening of the AFL-CIO; and

WHEREAS:
A National Labor Coordinating Committee was created, chaired by our President Gerald W. McEntee, to coordinate the voter mobilization efforts of the “Change to Win” unions with the AFL-CIO; and

WHEREAS:
It is in the interest of all union members to have a unified labor movement.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That all unions should participate in a single House of Labor, and therefore AFSCME reaffirms our commitment to the AFL-CIO as the national labor center for American workers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That we call upon the “Change to Win” unions to reassess the split and re-unify with the rest of labor; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That we welcome the decision of the National Education Association to support the affiliation of its branches with AFL-CIO central bodies and look forward to the day that the NEA itself will affiliate with the AFL-CIO; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That we fully support the work of the National Labor Coordinating Committee and urge the “Change to Win” unions to fully collaborate with it in a principled manner.
 
 
SUBMITTED BY: INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD