The Right Choice
Election Results Show the AFL-CIO Made a Wise Decision

Burrus Update #17-06, Nov. 17, 2006

The results of the Nov. 7 elections affirmed an important decision made by the AFL-CIO early in 2005: to focus on the electoral process as a means of advancing the cause of working people. Throughout the early months of last year there was intense debate within the labor movement about which effort should by primary — engaging in the political process or union organizing.

The unions that withdrew from the AFL-CIO in the summer of 2005 were outspoken advocates of the second option. They argued that the labor movement should focus on union organizing drives as a means of advancing workers’ rights — and that they should do so at the expense of political action. These union leaders issued public statements expressing dissatisfaction with the direction of the labor movement and they demanded that organizing efforts be increased dramatically while political activity be reduced. At the conclusion of the debate, seven unions withdrew from the AFL-CIO and formed Change to Win (CTW), a coalition dedicated to union organizing.

In the year that followed this spirited debate, few new workers have joined unions — despite the renewed attention to organizing by CTW. The dues payments withheld from the AFL-CIO by the departing unions and diverted to organizing efforts have generated scant results in increasing union membership, so the continued focus on recapturing a friendly Congress has proven to be the correct decision.

Through the legislative process, organized labor now has an opportunity to pass legislation (such as the Employee Free Choice Act) that will make it easier for workers to form unions and engage in meaningful collective bargaining. The shift of power in Congress is certainly not a panacea for the loss of rights American workers have suffered in recent years, but there is no doubt that the decision to engage in the electoral battle was the right one.

While some of the international unions that withdrew from the AFL-CIO were extremely active in the recent election, their uncoordinated participation was not the result of the new phantom labor federation.

Through the successful efforts of the AFL-CIO, workers will have a voice in the legislative chambers that control their future. We must now turn our political victories into legislative victories. But make no mistake; this was a tremendous victory for working people — made possible, in large part, by the AFL-CIO. And the election results confirm that the AFL-CIO made a wise strategic decision when it opted to focus on the electoral process.

William Burrus
President

[back to top]