UAW President Ron Gettelfinger today announced the UAW has endorsed John Sweeney for re-election as president of the AFL-CIO. "Throughout his life, John Sweeney has fought with courage and conviction on behalf of workers and their unions." said Gettelfinger. "As AFL-CIO president, John Sweeney has been unafraid to try new strategies and approaches for strengthening the labor movement. He is a leader who listens to and respects the concerns and ideas of the AFL-CIO's member unions, and he has actively encouraged a lively, open and much-needed debate on the future of the labor movement.
"During this debate, President Sweeney has focused squarely on issues and on doing what's in the best interest of workers and their families, refusing to be drawn into divisive personal squabbles. He believes in reaching out and bringing people together, not driving them apart," Gettelfinger continued. "The UAW has supported important reform proposals within the AFL-CIO to help create a stronger and more effective labor federation," Gettelfinger said. "And while different unions approach the challenges we face from different perspectives, we believe it's important to focus on what unites us.
"We are united in demanding an end to the human rights abuses in American workplaces which deny millions of people a free choice about whether to join a union. We are united in our belief that working families must have an effective voice in the political process. We are united in recognizing that today's global economy demands a global labor movement that can fight for workplace democracy and rising living standards for all workers, no matter where they live. John Sweeney is a leader on all these issues; that's why our union is proud to support him for re-election," said Gettelfinger.
--International Union, UAW
8000 East Jefferson Avenue o Detroit, Michigan 48214 o 313.926.5291 o www.uaw.org
By John J. Sweeney
"What does America want?" In 1893, AFL President Samuel Gompers asked and, with homespun eloquence, answered that question with a vision of America with "more schoolhouses and less jails."
Today, many people outside and inside the union movement are asking the same
question. Union members, progressive activists, the public and the people and
groups attacking working families all are watching as some union leaders threaten
to split the union movement and play out internal disputes
on a national stage.
This is a disservice to the 13 million hard-working women and men we represent. It's a gift handed to the White House, Tom DeLay, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Right to Work Committee and others whose attacks on working families are in high gear.
What does labor want today? We want a better future for working families. We want to rebuild the strength of America's union movement to take on whatever is in our way so we can win for working families. And we all can agree on that.
Working people and their unions are under attack from every direction-from
a harsh, globalized and corporate-driven economy, and from elected ideologues
who put corporate profits over people and embrace the shredding of America's
safety nets to create an "ownership society." Never has there
been a greater need for a strong and unified union movement.
It's essential that we debate how to build the strength we need and how to make far-reaching change, but we should commit to work this out together, with mutual support and unwavering focus on our common goals.
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President
Linda Chavez-Thompson and I recently proposed the most significant reorganization
of the AFL-CIO in its 50-year history, building on the many proposals and comments
submitted during a five-month process.
In "Winning for Working Families," we call for significantly increased
investment in organizing and in legislative and political mobilization. We propose
strengthening state and local union movements, increasing member and leadership
diversity and providing affiliate unions a larger role in
federation governance.
The AFL-CIO itself does not organize workers into unions-we support that work
by affiliated unions. Some unions invest heavily in helping workers win union
membership-but not enough unions invest enough. Our proposal calls for financial
incentives to unions that meet tough standards for
organizing and building the union movement to leverage massive new action to
reach new members. We want to create Industry Coordinating Committees so that
unions create global strategies together and implement joint bargaining, legislative
and political programs. We also propose creating a
fund to support strategic campaigns to bring workers' rights and justice to
employers such as Wal-Mart that are lowering working and living standards across
the country. And we increase AFL-CIO investment in member education and mobilization
efforts to give workers a greater voice in public policy and politics at the
local, state and national levels, all year, every year-not just at election
time. Not one penny of that money goes to candidates running for office.
Our proposals follow more than five months of reviewing and discussing recommendations from national unions, constituency groups, allied organizations and nearly 7,000 comments from rank-and-file union members. Recognizing the urgent need to shift more federation resources to organizing and member education and mobilization, we have restructured the AFL-CIO, requiring painful job cuts. We are certain these changes will help strengthen America's unions so we can build that better future for working families.
Generally, our proposals have been received thoughtfully and debated vigorously but respectfully and productively. Unfortunately, not every voice has engaged in principled discourse. Some are focusing on details about which we disagree rather than the broad areas of concurrence-and threatening to tear apart our union movement, the voice for America's working families, as a result.
Dividing and weakening our union movement does not help one single working person.
Now is the time to come together, to pull our load in one direction, to combine
our strength. Union members and all working people are counting on the leaders
of today's unions to work together in good faith for a strong, united union
movement that can win for working families.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney spoke at a Chicago rally in
2003 to help the Hotel and Restaurant Employees, whose international president,
John Wilhelm, was right behind him. In July, Wilhelm is expected to run against
the UAW-endorsed Sweeney! Photo by Gene Lantz