Spring Break
AFL-CIO Targets Non-Union Working Class with New Organization
Derek Lewis (NI), Special Contributor
Issue date: 1/27/03 Section: News
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Last week I ventured over the John Weeks Bridge to see what was happening on the Cambridge side of the river. Among the various events, such as a West African music show and an exhibit that features rare botanical models, made entirely of glass, were several political and educational seminars. The one I picked to visit was the Labor and Work-Life Forum, featuring Steve Rosenthal, the political director of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
The AFL-CIO is America's labor movement and their mission, taken straight from their web site (www.aflcio.org), is "to bring social and economic justice to our nation by enabling working people to have a voice on the job, in government, in a changing global economy and in their communities".
The program was part of the Harvard University Trade Union Program, considered to be the world's most prestigious training program of its type. Its participants include labor union leaders from the US, Asia, Australia and Europe.
Steve Rosenthal spent the afternoon outlining his political strategy for upcoming national elections. His focus is on holding ground for the Democrats, placing policy agenda issues on hold until the composition of Congress is more favorable to his constituents.
After reporting exit-poll results from recent mid-term national elections, Rosenthal stated he will create a new national labor organization focused on organizing non-union minorities and women in key swing states for the 2004 presidential election. His goal is to win back the White House for the Democrats.
A little history about Steve Rosenthal's role with the AFL-CIO is in order.
In the early nineties, labor unions were viewed by many as politically dead and during the sweeping victories led by Newt Gingrich in 1994, labor unions were framed as "part of the problem" by the conservative leadership. It was a historical low-point for labor unions in the US.
Rosenthal was hired by the AFL-CIO to improve labor union members' political standing. From 1992 to 1996 to 2000, labor union members' voter participation, as a percent of total voters, increased from 19% to 23% to 26%, respectively. Rosenthal viewed this as a victory and confirmation that his aggressive Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) campaign was working.
The AFL-CIO is America's labor movement and their mission, taken straight from their web site (www.aflcio.org), is "to bring social and economic justice to our nation by enabling working people to have a voice on the job, in government, in a changing global economy and in their communities".
The program was part of the Harvard University Trade Union Program, considered to be the world's most prestigious training program of its type. Its participants include labor union leaders from the US, Asia, Australia and Europe.
Steve Rosenthal spent the afternoon outlining his political strategy for upcoming national elections. His focus is on holding ground for the Democrats, placing policy agenda issues on hold until the composition of Congress is more favorable to his constituents.
After reporting exit-poll results from recent mid-term national elections, Rosenthal stated he will create a new national labor organization focused on organizing non-union minorities and women in key swing states for the 2004 presidential election. His goal is to win back the White House for the Democrats.
A little history about Steve Rosenthal's role with the AFL-CIO is in order.
In the early nineties, labor unions were viewed by many as politically dead and during the sweeping victories led by Newt Gingrich in 1994, labor unions were framed as "part of the problem" by the conservative leadership. It was a historical low-point for labor unions in the US.
Rosenthal was hired by the AFL-CIO to improve labor union members' political standing. From 1992 to 1996 to 2000, labor union members' voter participation, as a percent of total voters, increased from 19% to 23% to 26%, respectively. Rosenthal viewed this as a victory and confirmation that his aggressive Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) campaign was working.
