(The Associated Press circulated the following article by Sam Hananel on September 25.)
WASHINGTON — The group of unions that broke away from the AFL-CIO this summer is holding its first convention in St. Louis next week, laying the groundwork for a new federation they hope will revive a struggling labor movement.
Leaders of the Change to Win Coalition say the meeting Tuesday will focus on new ways to grow union membership and improve the living standards of workers.
“We will leave St. Louis with a call to arms about how we are really going to move and expand the work force of working people not only in our country but around the globe,” Anna Burger, chairwoman of the coalition, said Friday after a rally in Washington.
The coalition of seven major unions – including the Teamsters, Service Employees International Union, the United Food and Commercial Workers – represents about 6 million workers.
The exodus came in a dispute over the direction of the labor movement and what dissidents see as AFL-CIO President John Sweeney’s inability to halt declining membership. Critics say the union should shift its emphasis from backing political candidates – particularly Democrats – to finding new members.
About 400 to 500 delegates to the convention will approve a new constitution and establish priorities for the new federation. A new name for the group will also be announced.
Burger said there is no particular reason the federation chose St. Louis for its convention.
“It’s in the middle of the country, it’s working people, it’s America,” Burger said.
About 14 percent of Missouri workers are union members compared with 13.8 percent nationally, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The convention will run all day Tuesday at the Renaissance Grand Hotel downtown and will be preceded by a kickoff celebration in the America’s Center on Monday night. The group is also holding a round-table discussion on Monday afternoon to share its plan for a massive training and rebuilding effort in the Gulf Coast region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Organizers said there will be a greater sense of unity and coordination at the convention, in contrast to infighting that has marked recent AFL-CIO meetings.
“It’s not about unions fighting each other over turf,” said Leigh Strope, a spokeswoman for the Teamsters. “It’s about changing strategy to have some success organizing workers in industrywide campaigns.”
As part of that shift, politics will not be a focus of the meetings. Burger stressed the federation is not tied to a single party.
“We want to stand with elected officials, whether they are Democrat or Republican, who stand with us on our issues,” she said. “This is about a worker agenda, this is not about Ds and Rs, or red or blue, this is about whether what you do is right or wrong for working families.