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For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, February 24, 2005

AFSCME Weighs In On Labor's Future

Releases Proposals for Growth

Washington — The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) today released its second contribution to the discussion of the labor movement's future, a paper entitled The Organizing Challenge for Unions and the AFL-CIO.

The paper deals with the need for the labor movement to grow its membership and increase its political power.

"Winning or losing in politics is what will make the difference in whether our members and all working families have health insurance, good jobs and a secure retirement," AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee said. "But winning in politics has everything to do with whether the labor movement grows, and that must be our greatest priority."

Key AFSCME proposals include:

• Expanding the Strategic Campaign Registration program so unions can successfully launch large campaigns in their core jurisdictions without inter-union competition. This has begun tentatively under "strategic registration," but a stronger mandate is needed.
• Focus the Federation's Voice@Work campaign on today's frontline battles over the right to organize, like the struggles of the Indiana and Missouri state employees to save their bargaining rights.
• Expand political action activities to win bargaining rights in new jurisdictions.
• Encourage and create multi-union strategic collaborations in key industries where there's clear mutual interest. At the same time the Federation works to end inter-union competition, the Federation should foster new joint ventures.

"We need to make sure the debate about Labor's future stays focused on the goal: increasing our members and building more political power," McEntee said. "Issues such as union merger policy, jurisdiction and Federation structure ought to be addressed — but on their own merits — and without dramatic claims that the movement's life or death depends on them," added McEntee. "A union-free America is contemplated by powerful reactionary forces and they have achieved temporary advantage in the elections. Let us not make their task easier by dividing the movement when it needs unity, more than ever."

A copy of the AFSCME paper is attached.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, is the nation's fastest growing public service employees union with 1.4 million members. AFSCME organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace and through political action and legislative advocacy. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care workers, custodians and librarians.

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