(The Chicago Tribune posted the following article by T. Shawn Taylor on its website on February 27.)
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Describing talks with Labor Secretary Elaine Chao as “angry and insulting at times,” union leaders gathered for the AFL-CIO’s executive council meeting said the talks have only strengthened labor’s resolve against the Bush Administration.
“We had some pretty unbelievable conversations with the secretary of commerce,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, quickly adding to correct his intentional error: “I mean the secretary of labor. She just sounded like the secretary of commerce.
“In all my years of meeting with secretaries of labor, I’ve never had one so anti-union.”
Union officials bristled at Chao’s response to a question from a member of the machinists’ union during a closed session about strict, new financial reporting requirements for unions that her department is proposing. An aide handed Chao a binder, from which she read a list of union embezzlement charges and convictions.
“She went after this guy. She asked, “Are you aware the last five years, you’ve had an average of seven indictments a year in your union?'” said Jon Hiatt, general counsel for the AFL-CIO.
Hiatt said Chao’s list included a secretary who worked for the machinists’ union and who had stolen money. “This was hardly a union officials’ thing…The union corruption issue is a smokescreen.”
Chao’s comments also angered Teamsters Union President James P. Hoffa. Afterward, he told his colleagues in the meeting that “this should strengthen our resolve to get the job done in 2004” to elect a president who supports working families, said Mike Mathis, the Teamsters’ government affairs director.
Hoffa did not name Bush nor did he say he wants to support a Democrat, said Mathis, who would not clarify his boss’ remarks.
Chao, an official from past Republican administrations, told reporters later that her message centered on the president’s economic stimulus package and the administration’s commitment to job growth.
“Our No. 1 priority is to help create jobs,” Chao said.
She also cited Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released this week that show an 8 percent drop in job-related injuries and a 10 percent decline in construction fatalities, calling the higher death rate among Hispanic workers “unacceptable.”
In regard to the new reporting requirements, Chao said that labor has been in the forefront asking for transparency from corporations. “I would think they would support transparency in their organizations as well,” she added.
Labor leaders have attacked the proposed reporting requirements as burdensome and intent on weakening union influence.
Chao staffer Kathleen Harrington, who described Chao’s meeting as “open and honest,” said the Labor Department is considering extending discussions about the proposed reporting changes. Harrington added that the Labor Department has already held nine meetings with union officials on the proposals.
An AFL-CIO spokeswoman said that simply wasn’t true.
“There has not been one meeting,” said spokeswoman Lane Wyndham, adding that labor officials sought to schedule meetings before the proposal was introduced but was denied the opportunity.
“None of our recommendations were taken into account,” Wyndham said.
Chao, however, said her door is always open to labor leaders.
“We want to work with organized labor,” Chao said.