Linda Chavez-Thompson: Vice President of the AFL-CIO, United States
Figueroa, Maria
What are the goals of the AFL-CIO today? Our main goal is to reinvigorate the U.S. labor movement. For the longest time, the labor movement has been on a decline, mainly due to a lack of...
...We realized that members were not very involved in their unions during the 1996 presidential election, when it was difficult and often impossible to reach them...
...The United Auto Workers and many other unions are also developing relationships with unions in other countries...
...Many unions do make great efforts to mobilize the grassroots, so what the AFL-CIO did was bring all of those efforts together to mobilize voters...
...Greater grassroots mobilization on the part of the AFL-CIO started with the Labor 96 conference, which involved 300 union workers and staff...
...Such was the case of the steelworkers' union which was able to reach a favorable settlement with Bridgestone-Firestone thanks to the cooperation of unions from Japan...
...You have referred to the labor movement's efforts to build coalitions...
...awberry Therefore, training in economic pol- icy issues is a major step that the rganizing AFL-CIO is taking...
...We believe that our unions need to diversify not only the leadership but also their staffs, to the point that we start to actually see more women and people of color not just in organizing departments, but also in education, research and all other areas...
...What is the AFL-CIO's position on the recently implemented restrictions on legal immigrants' eligibility for certain kinds of public assistance including food stamps and medical assistance...
...For the longest time, the labor movement has been on a decline, mainly due to a lack of organizing and rank-and-file mobilization...
...In New York for example, can bring only 500 people out of the 1,200 attendees were the people who we ether on count on all of the time...
...We also need unions to hire more women and minorities...
...He said that profits were increasing, that severa stock market prices were soaring, tome and that the reason for this was that workers were afraid of losing their jobs...
...What are the major challenges that face the AFL-CIO and the labor movement as a whole...
...More and more jobs are being lost to the downsizing that corporate America is implementing...
...More media attention should be directed to the huge gap that exists between what workers earn and what CEOs earn, and the general public should be made aware of the fact that corporations keep improving their profit margins without sharing the wealth with their workers...
...We don't want unfair trade agreements...
...The AFL-CIO does not believe in discriminating against workers because of their national origin or their immigration status...
...We decided to change this state of affairs...
...What is the level of participation of workers in their unions today, and what mechanisms is the AFL-CIO using to promote their involvement...
...What is the AFL-CIO doing in terms of establishing alliances with unions in other countries in order to confront the increasing internationalization of the economy...
...We feel that we do not give members all the credit they deserve for their understanding of the economic factors that impact their lives, but we also want to give them the arguments that are needed to analyze and more effectively confront the economic policies that affect them...
...We are holding 16 such tions...
...Many of our union affiliates are undertaking promising organizing efforts involving industries and work sites with a predominantly immigrant workforce...
...We want companies to know that a hurt to one is a hurt to all...
...We want to be considered as part of the communities and as one with 'the groups that are contributing to improve people's living conditions...
...Furthermore, workers are workers no matter what their immigration status is...
...respect fo We don't want to be considered outsiders because we know that our inter- rights a ests overlap with those of the communi- and as h u ties...
...We ran a strong media campaign and most of all we encouraged people to vote, but we of course did not tell them who to vote for...
...These 300 people dedicated themselves to promoting union workers' participation in the 1996 elections...
...cials who were new to this type of activity...
...We think that these groups will be more willing to join pension efforts with the unions because the unions have helped them...
...In this process, we found that many workers had lost respect for their unions, and that our own members were waiting for somebody else to do something about their problems...
...The Chairman of the Federal today, we Reserve Board, Alan Greenspan, has recently made a statement about how them to well the economy is doing...
...We found that most unions had a very small budget for organizing new members, and that they dedicated most of their resources to servicing current ones...
...Could you give a particular instance of such experiences and a general assessment of your organization's approach to coalition building...
...Immigrant workers have always played a key role in the U.S...
...Our challenge is to get union leaders to stop thinking just about what they can do for union members...
...The AFL-CIO started by setting an example-not only by creating the new position of executive vice president, but also by getting me elected to fill that position...
...We are also developing new ways of organizing so as to broaden and strengthen our base, and to obtain more political representation for workers...
...One particular instance is the strawberry workers organizing campaign, where we have formed a coalition that includes 80 different organizations, including Catholic bishops, NAACP chapters and other civil rights organizations, and several community groups...
...During the last 15 years, workers' productivity 80 organiz 4 rose by 24%, corporate profits increased by 145%, and CEOs' pay can bring t rose by 499...
...Our major challenge is to confront downsizing, the part-timing of the workforce, and the sub-standard wages and working conditions of large sectors of the working population...
...Our union affiliates are also reaching out to their counterparts in other countries in order to join efforts on several issues...
...There are key statistics that illus- campaigr trate what working people are going formed a through in this country...
...kers are no matter t their tion status...
...Meanwhile, CEOs are making lots of money and continue pressuring to lower wages and reduce workers' benefits...
...All workers deserve a safe workplace, a living wage, adequate health insurance and pension plans, and respect for their basic rights as workers and as human beings...
...On this issue in general, there is a need for a mind change in the labor movement...
...We need to have unions bring more women and minorities to high-ranking positions...
...We also found that our unions were often fighting each other instead of cooperating with each other, and that workers' loyalty toward their unions had seriously deteriorated...
...Even in the case of coalitions built during elections, the wha bonds that we establish are of a longlasting nature...
...During the same together o period, workers' wages decreased by 12...
...What is the AFL-CIO's position on women's and minority representation at the leadership level of labor organizations...
...We are concerned that workers' basic rights in other countries are not being respected by companies that take advantage of low wages to compete in the international market...
...AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has been working closely with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to link international trade with labor rights...
...Large sectors of the population work for a minimum wage which, even with the increase to $5.50 scheduled for September, cannot sustain a decent standard of living...
...Many unions are aware of the need for change and it is beginning to happen...
...We are undertaking industry-wide campaigns to organize large numbers of workers, such as the California strawberry workers campaign in Watsonville, the construction and gaming industry organizing in Las Vegas, and the poultry-processing industry organizing in the South...
...We are making great progress in building coalitions with neighborhood organizations, community groups, civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, National Council of La Raza, and with women's rights organizations...
...We want a social clause to be included in international trade treaties so that workers' human rights and union rights are protected in those countries we trade with...
...What is the role of immigrant workers in the labor movement...
...Large numbers of workers lack NACIA REPORT ON THE AMERICAS 0 0 0 52VOICES ON THE LEFT health insurance benefits or a pension plan, and the mistreatment and lack of respect for the basic rights of workers is becoming more and more widespread in U.S...
...It is often the case that immigra our problems recur and we need to They all ensure that we receive the support of our allies in the future...
...We are also holding organizing con- we have ferences around the country to train coalition of union workers to organize other workers...
...The AFL-CIO works in cooperation with its sister federation in Canada, the Canadian Labor Congress (CLC), and we have relationships with unions in numerous countries...
...We are trying to show the country that we are fighting for working peopleunion and non-union alike...
...We realized that the nature and the seriousness of these problems called not for moderate change, but for drastic change...
...Our goal of improving the working and living standards of all workers overlaps with the goals of many other groups in society which do not define themselves by the workplace...
...The shift from full-time to part-time work is eliminating the health insurance and pension benefits of many workers...
...There is a lot of international work being done by the AFL-CIO and the affiliates...
...Our general 53 53 VoL XXXI, No 1 JuLY/AUG 1997VOICES ON THE LEFT approach is to bring these groups together on one issue today, so that we Wor can bring them together on several other workers, issues tomorrow...
...In the case of safe w strikes, for example, it is essential that we educate the community about the a livin importance of not breaking the strike...
...We are also hiring more people who speak the language of the workers we are trying to organize as well as that of the workers we already represent...
...This statement raises serious concerns on our part, because businesses' success is being shouldered by working people who are receiving no benefits from this boost in companies' profits...
...We also want to give them the tools to sharpen their own arguments during negotiations...
...This signalled the beginning of the changes that are needed...
...My organization does not tolerate any form of discrimination against immigrant workers, and believes that they should be treated with dignity and respect...
...Our campaign focused on the issues that affected workr 1, a h Ir ing people, and we asked our members to re-elect their congressional representative if he or she had shown a voting record that was favorable to workers...
...We also invest in the community and adequa help groups such as senior citizens' insura organizations...
...The AFL-CIO believes that social benefits for legal immigrants should not be restricted, and opposes the recently passed restrictions on the eligibility of legal immigrants for various social programs...
...the other 700 were members of the rank and issues file, shop stewards and union offirrow...
...We are also training union members and educators to talk about economic policy issues...
...deserve a orkplace, g wage, te health nce and plans, and r their basic s workers man beings...
...workplaces...
...If we do not have a stronger and bigger base, we are not going to be able to effectively counter the policies proposed by politicians like Newt Gingrich in Congress who, from powerful positions in govern- In the st ment, are advancing the corporate agenda and who clearly hate workers workers ( and unions...
...Generally only union officials and staff would attend ese groups these conferences, but now we are "1one issue opening them to anybody who wants to attend...
...If we conferences this year...
...It is time for us to assume our responsibilities within our communities, in the same way we demand corporate responsibility toward workers and communities...
Vol. 31 • July 1997 • No. 1
