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CFA Statewide Statement on SEIU Disaffiliation from AFL-CIO
July 26, 2005
Many of you have been reading about the changes happening in the
national labor movement. As of Monday July 25, 2005, both SEIU and the
Teamsters have disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO and along with UFCW, UNITE
HERE, and the United Farm Workers, the laborers, and the carpenters
created a new umbrella organization - the Change to Win Coalition.
At issue are fundamental disagreements between two segments of organized
labor about how to reverse the decline of unionization in this country.
In simple terms, one group prioritizes political activity through
financial contributions and electoral organizing while the other argues
that organizing workers into unions should be the first priority of the
AFL-CIO and all unions. Once organized, this group says, political
activity will be more effective in persuading these workers to support
the worker-friendly candidates.
How does all of this affect CFA? In fact CFA is connected to the AFL-CIO
as a result of our affiliation with SEIU. As an SEIU local (Local 1983),
when the process is complete we will no longer be affiliated with the
AFL-CIO.
In reality, however, this change will have little effect on us in the
short term. Locally, our primary relationship to the AFL-CIO is through
central labor councils like the LA County Federation of Labor. As you
may have seen in today's LA Times, Los Angeles based SEIU locals have
said publicly that they "intend to remain part of the county federation,
despite the national split." Indeed, at its last meeting LA County Fed
delegates agreed that we'd all be working together against the Governor
no matter what the outcome in Chicago. Similar sentiment has been
reported all over the state.
We need to bear in mind that our most immediate problem is not the split
in the AFL-CIO but rather defeating the Governor's initiatives in the
November special election. As Jean Ross of the California Budget Project
has said, this election is a "tipping point " for California. We need to
defeat Propositions 75 and 76 if we are to protect our students, our
colleagues and our institution. We cannot afford to be distracted from
this vital work.
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