I think you can get a feel for the different approaches in the debate about the future of labor. I don’t agree with every piece of anyone’s proposal but having open debate is essential. SEIU’s website (www.unitedtowin.org) is freewheeling–it lets anyone post a comment and go on for as long as they wish…though that’s not always a strength given some of the spirit of the comments.

On the other hand, the AFL-CIO just launched a site, obviously in reaction to the SEIU site, which has a quite different approach. The site limits comments to 500 words and it does not allow interaction between people. It requires that people post comments using their names; the SEIU site allows people to post comments anonymously, which has given rise to sometimes unsubstantiated, caustic attacks.

We report. You decide which site you like.

[2012 note: The United To Win site and the debate section on the AFL-CIO are not longer active]