AFL-CIO to lay off 80 to 100 staffers

[funkybutt]

http://www.washtimes.com/business/20050309-094633-7665r.htm

The AFL-CIO will lay off up to a quarter of its staff in response to a decision last week to restructure operations.
Robert Welsh, chief of staff for AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, told employees at the federation yesterday that 80 to 100 people will be laid off.
The AFL-CIO, a Washington-based federation representing 58 labor unions, employs 421 persons.

[cheezus]

1. ironic?

[JDPriestly]

2. How much do the top honchos make?

What are the salary schedules? Could they share the work or lower top salaris to keep people employed? This does not speak well for their commitment to job security.

[AndyTiedye]

3. Outsourcing Has Utterly Destroyed the Labor Movement

and the Democratic party with it, since labor was our base.
Now we have no base.

[joefree1]

4. Yeah we have a base

Anyone who is not rich and not drinking the Koolaid.

[rogue_bandit]

5. No one is organizing

For the most part the unions aren't organizing workers. The lead union staff and administrators are organizing themselves for higher wages and greater benefits.

Any company can be said to be failing if it is not growing. It is almost impossible to maintain a balance between the two and continue in business. The same is true of union organizing; either they organize the unorganized or they fail.

Do you know that most union workers don't know that the five day work week, the end of child labor abuses, paid vacations and sick leave, overtime and holiday pay are the result of union organizing? It's true in my experience.

I worked temporarily as organizing staff for a service union. Many, if not most, of the workers I called didn't want to be members (it took too much of their money or they were Republicans opposed to organized labor). They certainly didn't want to participate in union activities like picket lines or any form of public exposure. I was absolutely amazed.

The unions need to invest in organizing minimum wage workers and contract workers and employment service workers. But they don't. It seems to me that the lead organizers and administrators are too concerned about their own wages and benefits on the short term, just like any other CEOs and lead administrators and managers.

I'd love to be proved wrong. What are your experiences with union leaders?

John

[2Design]

6. so that is why I never heard back to be an organizer

People don't realize the 40 hour work week, vacation, minimum age to work, and benefits came about because of unions

This is why all the attack on teacher unions - they are trying to bust them

once unions are gone - all we will have left is wal mart - low wages - no benefits

only ones with benefits are government - congress - gives themselves 4000 raise every year and has benefits up the ying yang