Posted on: Saturday, May 14, 2005

Union feud threatens all of organized labor

By Ron Fournier
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Divided and desperate, union leaders are looking everywhere — from Ivy League classrooms to the "megachurch" pulpits of far-flung suburbia — for ways to reverse a 50-year decline in membership that is tipping the balance of power in politics.

Labor's woes are a threat to the Democratic Party, because unions are the single-greatest organizing tool on the left side of the political spectrum. "If we can't reverse course, the future is very, very bleak," said Harold Ickes, an influential Democrat and labor ally.

Organized labor is at a tipping point, buffeted by economic, political and social shifts that make it harder to recruit new members. Under the leadership of John Sweeney, the AFL-CIO has maintained its political might despite the nosedive in membership, but few union or party leaders believe that organized labor can cling to relevancy unless it changes with the times.

The question is how to adapt. The AFL-CIO, a federation of 57 unions formed at the peak of labor's powers 50 years ago, is in danger of breaking apart in a dispute over strategies.

The federation's largest partner, the 1.8 million-member Service Employees International Union, is threatening to bolt unless the AFL-CIO commits to a dramatic reorganization. The SEIU wants the AFL-CIO to cut its budget by more than 50 percent and use the savings to increase organizing by its member unions.

Sweeney, facing a tough re-election bid this summer, says he's done plenty to increase membership since 1995 — and pledges to do more.

"The infighting couldn't come at a worse time for them, or for Democrats," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic consultant with deep ties to labor.

The feud is part of a drumbeat of bad news for labor.

• The AFL-CIO laid off 167 employees this month as part of Sweeney's plan to increase spending on union membership drives.

• The Labor Department warned labor not to use money from pension funds to lobby against President Bush's proposal to overhaul Social Security, and suggested that unions were being closely watched for potential wrongdoing.

• A federal bankruptcy judge approved United Airlines' plan to terminate its employees' pension plans. The ruling could impact pensions in other industries, labor officials said, undermining one of the key selling points of a union.

• About 14 percent of voters in last fall's elections said they were union members, down from 16 percent in 2000.

The worse news is old news: The unionized portion of the U.S. work force has dropped from 32.5 percent in the mid-1950s to 12 percent.

Labor leaders cite many reasons for the decline: The global economy, trade agreements, the shift from an industrial- to a technology-based economy, poor enforcement of labor laws, and Republican tax policies that squeeze middle-class incomes.

Harvard professor Robert Putnam, author of "Bowling Alone," said labor's membership declines coincided with the steep drop in all community and civic activities starting in the 1960s. Once part of a worker's social network — with crowded union halls and other activities — organized labor now has a purely transactional relationship with workers. "They're merely bargaining agents," Putnam said.

A frustrated Ickes said he knows labor needs to change, he's just not sure how.

"Business has reorganized itself to meet the global competition, but labor is still back in the old industrial economy mind-set, when they were sheltered by two oceans and had no competition" Ickes said. "Those are nice generalities. If you press me beyond that, I don't know what to say."