Welcome back, friends, from whatever you may have done over the Labor Day weekend. It’s going to be an interesting September, what with the Change To Win convention meeting on the 27th–there will be a new name for this group…and they are busily working on the Constitution and other specifics.

But, this week, at least, the fireworks start on Friday when the AFL-CIO has an Executive Committee meeting. I hear that a few national presidents went ballistic over the “thank you” e-mail that went out to Rep. Jim Moran, one of the CAFTA 15. Since I reported on this, I’ve gotten at least one inquiry from a national president’s senior staff person wanting to know if any of the other CAFTA 15 got such an e-mail: they would have had to be an endorser of the Employee Free Choice Act.

My understanding is that heavy criticism will come at least from FireFighters president Harold Schaitberger, who has been dogged about defections from Democrats on CAFTA. You may remember back at the end of July I revealed a letter that Schaitberger had organized to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi about possible defections from Democratic ranks on the looming vote on CAFTA; 20 union presidents signed the letter. Pelosi immediately called the AFL-CIO, upset that the letter was sent.

I hear Schaitberger will, in particular, be harshly critical of the AFL-CIO’s top staff (he’s not been happy with those folks before, particularly in the Public Affairs Department, because he feels the staff leaves Council members out of the loop on important decisions). In particular, he will want to know why the CAFTA 15 received praise for anything so soon after casting a vote that the AFL-CIO deemed to be of central importance.

If I’m AFL-CIO chief of staff Bob Welsh, I’d chalk it up to a mistake–“darn, someone forgot to take those 15 out of the data file,” would be one defense–because to defend the “thank you” e-mail seems downright foolish.

But, in my humble opinion, the e-mail should be just a pretext for taking stronger action. I’d hope that the AFL-CIO would immediately adopt a resolution that states that no member who voted for CAFTA–either in the House or the Senate–will receive a single dollar from labor nor benefit from any get-out-the-vote efforts in 2006.

I’m struck by the fact that a number of union leaders have publicly stated, in justifying the tough stance they’ve taken against the disaffiliated unions’ participation in local labor bodies, that there are consequences to actions. Well, hello, why not hold elected representatives to the same standard on a vote the AFL-CIO declared was critical?

And, to take this one naive step further, if I was John Sweeney, I’d call up the Change To Win coalition unions, urge them to take the same action and suggest that the AFL-CIO and Change To Win hold a joint press conference to announce the move. It would send a message that on issues central to the future of working people, politicians and employers need to know that there is no light between the two federations.