WASHINGTON (AP) -- From Enron to WorldCom, organized labor sees opportunity in the corporate scandals for worker-friendly legislative reforms, political leverage in an election year and, at the very least, potential members.þþThe AFL-CIO, which has 66 affiliate unions with 13 million members, has jumped into the scandal frenzy, devoting thousands of dollars and hours attempting to influence new laws and regulations and demand accountability from corporations. President John Sweeney will even appear at a union rally on Wall Street next week declaring ``No more business as usual.'' Former workers from Enron, WorldCom and accounting firm Arthur Andersen will be present.þþAnd visitors to the AFL-CIO's Web site, www.laidoffworkers.org, can keep up with developments in the corporate world and get union organizing tips.þþ``Thousands of workers are suffering today because of corrupt corporate practices that enrich the few at the expense of the many. Thousands more are worried they could be next,'' said the site, which also offers resources for surviving unemployment and protecting retirement funds.þþUnions and their Democrat allies have attacked Republicans vigorously in recent weeks on the issue of corporate corruption, attempting to depict the GOP as captive to special interests. A plummeting stock market fueled by continued tales of fraud is threatening to factor in the November elections, when control of the House and Senate are at stake.þþ``The American public is going to be focused on whether politicians have any solutions,'' said the AFL-CIO's Karen Nussbaum, special assistant to Sweeney. ``People are extraordinarily worried. Every day they see their investments decline and they don't want a part of it anymore. The only body that's capable of changing this is our elected officials.''þþFor organized labor, at the very least, the scandals have given a new perspective to laid-off workers with little or no exposure to unions. That could be good news for the labor movement, which has seen membership has steadily decline to a six-decade low as the work force has grown. Despite the perception that unions primarily represent blue-collar workers, almost 50 percent of members wore white collars in 2000 and their numbers are rapidly increasing more than any other group.þþLaid-off WorldCom employee Cara Alcantar, 29, of Phoenix, had never dealt with a union until she and her co-workers turned to the AFL-CIO for help last month. In fact, she had never even heard of the labor federation.þþ``I had no idea they existed and now my life has completely changed,'' she said. ``I went from being this scared, depressed person to being completely empowered, knowing what could be done. We now know we have someone on our side.''þþWorker casualties of the corporate implosions have found a valuable advocate in the AFL-CIO, which has arranged for them to testify before Congress and to tell their stories to the media and has pressed companies and the government for investigations and reforms on their behalf.þþ``Building goodwill among workers with little or no union experience is really just a byproduct of the work,'' said AFL-CIO spokeswoman Kathy Roeder. ``The reasons for our involvement are much larger than that. However, I think the transformation that some of the former Enron employees went through -- from suspicion to heartfelt gratitude and enthusiasm for labor -- was exciting to watch and very interesting.''þþThe AFL-CIO hired lawyers for Enron workers and helped them win severance packages in negotiations with the company, which initially claimed its severance policy legally terminated the day it filed for bankruptcy.þþ``I don't know anyone at Enron that was a member of a union,'' said former employee Elisa Hollis, 42, of Houston. ``Frankly, I never thought I needed it. I had a really high-paying job with fantastic benefits and perks, and just never imagined what could happen.''þ
Source: NY Times
