It’s the classic question: local versus national; grassroots versus leadership…I’ve always been a man in the middle on the questions…you need both…neither is the answer on its own. And so the question of what will happen with the Central Labor Councils and State Federations has generated a lot of buzz and heat across the nation since the AFL-CIO convention, as well as a slew of interesting comments in this community here.

Jeff Crosby, the president of the North Shore Labor Council (that being the north shore of Massachusetts…I dunno, Jeff, you sound like a New Yorker there thinking that everyone should know where that North Shore is…) posted the letter below in the comments section but I thought it merited an up-front viewing. Jeff’s quite thoughtful and very active in networking with the AFL-CIO CLC and State Fed folks. And I feel confident saying that, of the people on the signers list so far who I know or know of, they represent the really good, hard working local leaders.

Seems to me that the goal of this letter is to try to figure out some way to keep the dialogue going between the AFL-CIO and the Change To Win unions over how to keep the local organizing and political work running as smoothly as possible given that there are now two main structural entities representing unions (as opposed to independent unions). I’ll update people, as I learn, how many more CLC and State Fed leaders sign on to the letter.

Maybe you want to comment on the content of the letter…in particular, I’d welcome comments from CLC or State Fed leaders–either those who have signed the letter or those who haven’t about what’s the best way to bolster local activity.

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An Open Letter from State Federation and CLC Leaders
To the Unions of the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win Unions
About Continued Solidarity at the State and Local Level

As leaders of the central labor councils and state federations of the AFL-CIO, we need the good-faith efforts of all unions to re-establish the unity of our labor movement at the state and local level.

At this time in our history when working people are facing relentless attacks on their standard of living, when employers are intensifying their opposition to the efforts of workers to form unions and when our unions are confronting attempts to destroy their right to engage the political process on behalf of working families, we need now, more than ever, to maintain our solidarity on the front lines of our movement if we hope to preserve a free and fighting labor movement for working Americans.

We recognize the willingness of the Change to Win unions to continue to support our state federations and central labor councils. We are encouraged that so many local unions of the Change to Win unions in our states have expressed their willingness to participate in our organizations as well. We are convinced that the good faith commitments of these unions could provide the basis for maintaining the unity of purpose and equity of effort that can sustain and strengthen our labor movement in these challenging times.

We applaud the proposal of AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to the Executive Council to provide for the continued participation of local unions of the Change to Win unions in our central labor councils and state federations through Solidarity Charters. Although we have heard objections to some of the details of that proposal which may deserve further consideration, we view this offer as a good faith effort to allow for the continued participation of the Change to Win unions with full voice and vote in our local central bodies.

The very concept of allowing continued participation in our local central bodies by unions which have disaffiliated from the national AFL-CIO is as unprecedented as it is important. The details of providing for such participation in ways that are consistent with the constitution and organizational principles of the AFL-CIO as well as state and federal election laws are, understandably, quite complex. But the proposal from the AFL-CIO Executive Council offers a creative and positive attempt to resolve these complexities and to help re-unite our movement at the local level through the all important 2006 election cycle.

We continue to hear from all of our unions the desire to keep us stronger together at the local level. Where there is that will, there has to be a way for us to do so – just as there needs to be a way to re-unify the labor movement at the national level.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson urged us in Chicago to “keep your eyes on the prize.” That prize, we believe, remains within our grasp at our state federations and central labor councils. But that prize could slip from our grasp if we fail to resolve this issue.

We urge all unions to make serious, good-faith efforts to find a way to keep our movement together at the local level. We believe the concept of Solidarity Charters provides the basis for achieving this goal.

Margaret Blackshere, President, Illinois AFL-CIO;
Jeff Crosby, President, North Shore Labor Council; John Ryan, President, Cleveland AFL-CIO Federation of Labor;
Tim Nesbitt, President, Oregon AFL-CIO
;
Al Ybarra, Executive Secretary, Orange County Central Labor Council;
Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, California AFL-CIO;
Bill George, President, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; Bridgette Williams, President, Kansas City Labor Council (Greater);
Christine Trujillo, President, New Mexico AFL-CIO;
Cindy Hall, President, Florida AFL-CIO;
Dan Radford, President, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council;
Danny LeBlanc, President, Virginia AFL-CIO;
David Newby, President, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO;
Dennis Gannon, President, Chicago Federation of Labor;
Ed Mayne, President, Utah State AFL-CIO;
Ernie Grecco, President, Metropolitan Baltimore Council of AFL-CIO Unions;
Geoff Upperton, President, Rock County Central Labor Council;
Harold Dias Jr., President, Hawaii State AFL-CIO;
Harold Schladweiler, President, Washington County Central Labor Council; Jack McKay, President, Bangor Labor Council (Greater);
James Andrews, President, North Carolina AFL-CIO;
Jerry Butckiewicz, Executive-Secretary, San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council;
Jim Cavanaugh, President, South Central Federation of Labor;
Jim Curry, President Secretary-Treasurer, Oklahoma State AFL-CIO;
Jim DeHoff, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Kansas AFL-CIO;
Jim McGarvey, President, Montana State AFL-CIO;
Ken Mass, President, Nebraska State AFL-CIO;
Mark Gaffney, President, Michigan State AFL-CIO;
Patty Rose, Secretary-Treasurer, Pierce County Central Labor Council;
Paul Johnston, Secretary-Treasurer, Monterey Bay County Labor Council;
Ray Waldron, President, Minnesota AFL-CIO;
Richard Shaw, Secretary-Treasurer, Harris County Central Labor Council;
Sam Lathem, President, Delaware State AFL-CIO;
Shar Knutson, President, St Paul AFL-CIO Trades and Labor Assembly;
Steve Adams, President, Colorado AFL-CIO;
Steve Williamson, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, King County Labor Council;
Tony Vanderbloemen, President, Green Bay Labor Council (Greater).