Working Life

Yesterday, the AFL-CIO Executive Council held its last meeting before the July convention in Chicago. If there was going to be any *public* compromise or thawing, it could have happened yesterday. But, nope, things are pretty much headed the same direction. According to one person from the Change To Win coalition, “the meeting was another […]

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This is really just a heads-up to something I’ll post after 6 p.m…I promised to wait. And, anyway, it’s Sunday, you should be out playing…or sweltering as the case may be for most of the East Coast. Me, I’m headed to the gym nice and early to get that over with. But, if you’ve got […]

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Just to get back for a moment to the battle between UNITEHERE and CWA over the California casinos. So, the underlying mystery here has been: is it true that CWA president Morty Bahr promised John Wilhelm, back when he was president of HERE, that CWA recognized HERE’s absolute right to organize the casino workers and […]

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I had already had my doubts about how realistic the proposed 2005-2006 AFL-CIO budget is given that it projects a whole lot of income for a “we hope the world will look like this” rather than “this is the world we will likely inhabit.”It’s too bad that, to cover deficits, the Federation can’t print money […]

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Some of the tension from the battle over the future of labor is playing out in organizing campaigns. Back in May, we learned of a tiff between UNITE-HERE and CWA over who should organize workers at tribal casinos in California. UNITE-HERE sued CWA in federal court alleging breach of contract, arguing that UNITE-HERE was granted […]

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I keep thinking, as I read the AFL-CIO confidential budget, that it may be the only reason a deal is still possible that avoids one or more unions leaving the Federation, but would include John Sweeney agreeing to step aside and not run for re-election and acceptance of some of the major structural changes being […]

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So, I’ve been thumbing through a copy of the confidential AFL-CIO budget that was just approved by the Executive Committee, and is headed for a vote before the full Executive Council on June 27th in Chicago. I’ll have more to say about the budget in the next few days but, for now, I want an […]

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Through all this back and forth about the future of the labor movement, you have to wonder what employers are thinking about the debate. Well, I’ve gotten my hands on a briefing paper put together by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, a leading management law firm that advises its clients how to avoid unions. Check it […]

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Stop the presses!!! Today, John Sweeney announced that he was running for re-election. The press event, organized by his campaign (which, interestingly, is housed at the Firefighters union Building…I guess Harold isn’t pissed off anymore) took place at the Communications Workers of America building in Washington, D.C. Yours truly could not be there so the […]

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On this commercially-driven day of tipping ones hat to dads, why would any father want their kid to work at Wal-Mart? Yet, again, the Beast of Bentonville has been found to be exploiting kids. Not the first time and likely not the last–it’s a continuation of the culture of crime at the Beast. Turns out […]

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