I’ve made this point here and there but I think it’s worth underscoring (maybe you want to print this out and stick it on the computer?): the ultimate decision on whether a resolution or constitutional amendment becomes the law of the AFL-CIO land comes by a vote of the entire convention, which opens on Monday.

The various votes on resolutions and amendments by the Executive Council express the position of the Council. After a Council vote, the text of the resolution or amendment goes either to the Resolutions Committee or the Constitution Committee. Those committees decide what to report out to the entire convention.

So, that’s the dry stuff. The reality is this: what comes out of the Executive Council usually is rubber-stamped by the various committees because the majority of the Executive Council makes sure that they have the votes on the various committees to report to the convention in a favorable way. Sure, convention delegates can vote down a resolution or constitutional amendment but i’ve never heard of that happening at the AFL-CIO conventions of the recent past. And it’s rare in individual affiliates–hey, I speak from experience having served on the Constitution committee of my own union, the wonderful UAW.