A divided House of Labor threatens the Democratic Party, which relies on the AFL-CIO's organizing powers on Election Day, and could affect the livelihoods of 13 million workers represented by the federation's affiliates. Whether the civil war jolts organized labor from its slumber or hastens its decline is a subject of intense debate.
''Divided we fall," said Gerald McEntee, president of a government workers' union who hopes to keep the AFL-CIO intact.
On the flip side, Andy Stern of the Service Employees International Union is leading an effort to overthrow his former mentor, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, and radically overhaul the federation. He has formed a coalition of seven reform-minded unions, including the four threatening to quit the AFL-CIO if their demands are not met.
''Workers need organizations that are new, modern, and full of dynamic thinking for the 21st century, and to date the labor movement has not been able to change in a way that employers and the economy have been changing," Stern said.
He and his allies argue that the AFL-CIO has failed to adjust to globalization, the decline of industrial-based jobs, and the rise of the service economy. In addition to ousting Sweeney, the dissidents want to shift the federation's focus from politics to recruiting new union members.
Sweeney counters that the AFL-CIO has changed and will keep doing so. In the run-up to the convention, he bowed to several of Stern's demands, save one: Sweeney has refused to resign his post, and is assured reelection this week. While pledging to work through the weekend to avoid a split, Sweeney has started to look ahead to an AFL-CIO without Stern and his allies.
''It's always painful to lose members, but we will maintain a strong federation with a substantial number of affiliates" if the dissidents leave, Sweeney said.
