I don’t think we should make much of the United Farm Workers leaving the AFL-CIO. Sure, the union has a certain iconic position in the movement’s lore which is quite disproportionate to its current size and impact on anything happening in labor.

Remember, the UFW was already part of the Change To Win coalition–like the Laborers, the UFW joined the CTW last summer without leaving the AFL-CIO.

The real question is: can the UFW turn around its fortunes by jumping on board the CTW? One thing the UFW loses is a significant subsidy–I recall it was around $750,000–from the AFL-CIO. I assume there have been some promises made to extend money, organizers and other support to the union. I’m asking…and well let you’all know.