So, John Sweeney did reply to UFCW President Joe Hansen’s June 3rd letter. Sweeney’s letter came just three days later…can’t let any moss gather under that one.

After all, Hansen’s letter did hint that the UFCW was considering leaving the Federation–and his board, as I reported yesterday, will consider that very subject this coming week. If another big union appears poised to leave the Federation, it’s going to make it a very tough AFL-CIO convention–not to mention trying to run the operation, already hit by a 25 percent staff cut, with millions of dollars less in per capita.

Not surprising, then, that Sweeney’s letter says, “It serves no purpose, and in fact it undermines our ability to reach a genuine agreement built on consensus and respect, for unions to threaten to leave the Federation if they do not get their way.”