Union Turmoil

AP: 4 Unions to Boycott AFL - CIO Meeting
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 24, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Labor-Rift.html?

Strange fare for Economists, battling unions are (shades of Yoda). The article says a lot, but a lot it left unsaid. The Carpenters and Joiners are a large union who has already quit the AFL-CIO, and the fight is more Blue Collar against Office workers than Anyone wants to admit. The Later want the Status Quo and John Sweeney. The Former wants Workers out on the streets to stop the drain of Jobs from the American economy--the drain is there, but overwhelmingly limited to their sectors. The Office workers (mostly Civil Service) have little fear of Job loss, wanting only patterned packages of Raises and Benefits. The Split was bound to come!

The Blue Collar workers feel they are under-represented, with all Union officialdom functionally College-educated, and MBAs controlling both Sides of any union negotiations. They suspect union leadership does not spend on Organizing efforts out of a greater desire to improve their own Pay packages. NAFTA produces the approximate damage to the Unions' position as most members suspicioned it would. Rank-and-File membership see no organized attempt to forestall CAFTA. The Split will likely be permanent, and along Occupational lines.

The Impact will undoubtedly be great, and not truly a loss for Labor. The more-energized Blue Collar unions will combat Republican influence with the Grass Roots Voters, with Republican leadership finding they do not own the Local issues at all. A whole new crop of Democratic Legislators will likely show up in State Capitols, Ones who have already committed Votes on Bread and Butter legislation. Democratic and Republican national Office-Holders will face greater Voter knowledge of their Voting record, and their sources of Income. The Blue Collar Movement will do battle for the Republican-dominated Congress, and will likely win eventually. lgl