With several unions threatening to bolt the A.F.L.-C.I.O., John J. Sweeney, the federation's president, said yesterday that he would support cutting individual unions' contributions to the federation to make more money available to organize workers.þþMr. Sweeney gave broad support to proposals made by several labor leaders who assert that labor needs to devote far more money to organizing to stop labor's longtime slide. þþMr. Sweeney said he would recommend a specific percentage cut in the per-capita contributions that 58 member unions make to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. after consulting further with other union leaders. The presidents of the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union have called for a 50 percent cut, amounting to about $35 million. þþÿWe're looking at how to change the role of the fed to bring about more growth,ÿ Mr. Sweeney said in a telephone news conference. ÿUnless we grow, no other strategy will be effective.ÿþþAs an unusual debate swirls within labor about what changes are needed, Mr. Sweeney said unions should have their contributions to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. reduced only if they pledged to invest heavily in organizing. þþLabor leaders said Mr. Sweeney's announcement would mean tens of millions of dollars more for organizing and could cause the A.F.L.-C.I.O. to reduce its staff and responsibilities and focus more on politics and legislative matters. Mr. Sweeney gave his support to cutting unions' contributions to the federation after Andrew Stern, president of the service employees, the largest union in the A.F.L.-C.I.O., threatened to quit the federation unless it adopted far-reaching changes. Mr. Stern's aides said yesterday that he had no comment on Mr. Sweeney's remarks.þþThe debate over change and reducing unions' payments to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. could gather steam next week when the nation's labor leaders hold their winter meeting at Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas.þþWith Mr. Stern calling on the A.F.L.-C.I.O. to pressure small unions to merge, Mr. Sweeney said he would encourage unions to merge voluntarily to make them bigger and stronger. He also called for changes in labor's rules to prevent one union from undercutting another in bargaining.þþSeveral labor leaders have quietly suggested that Mr. Sweeney not run for a new four-year term, suggesting that it is time for a new leader with a more vigorous agenda. When Mr. Sweeney, 70, was first elected to the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s helm in 1995, he said he would serve 10 years at most, but yesterday he said he was intent on winning another term at the federation's convention this summer.þþÿI think I'm the best person to lead the labor movement to take on the challenges that we're faced with,ÿ he said. ÿI believe that we've done a lot of good. I'm very proud of the record we have, and I realize that we have to do much more.ÿþþMr. Stern has told friends that John W. Wilhelm, the longtime president of the hotel and restaurant employees' union, might run against Mr. Sweeney, but Mr. Wilhelm refused to comment. þþMr. Sweeney outlined a broad program for the federation, saying it would increase efforts to elect a worker-friendly Congress in 2006 and would expand an organization, known as Working America, in which 800,000 nonunion workers have signed up to cooperate with unions on politics and legislation. He said labor had mounted a large grass-roots mobilization intended to block President Bush's effort to revamp Social Security.þþ
Source: NY Times
