State labor chief sees ‘challenging times’

Massive defections from the national AFL-CIO organization have caused an “immediate financial crisis” for Washington state labor unions, which are being restructured, the president of the Washington State Labor Council said Thursday.

“There is no question these are difficult and challenging times for organized labor,” Rick Bender told delegates at the opening of the state labor council’s annual convention here.

Four large unions — including the Teamsters, International Service Employees International Union and United Food and Commercial Workers — announced last week that they are leaving the AFL-CIO, taking more than 4 million of the labor organization’s 13 million members. Others may follow in the rift over leadership and organizing efforts, Bender said.

The labor schism cost the AFL-CIO in Washington state one-third of its per capita revenue and “caused an immediate financial crisis for locals,” Bender said, adding there will be layoffs in the state organization’s staff.

Washington is one of few states where union membership is actually increasing, and the international rift comes as the Bush administration is stepping up attacks on organized labor, Bender said.

Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat who is considered a friend of labor, acknowledged that organized labor has gone through traumatic changes in recent weeks, but pledged to continue working with the Legislature and unions to pass education and training bills, as well as improvements in health care and health insurance.

The labor council will have to restructure in order to perform its core missions with less money, Bender said.

State and local union leaders were frustrated during last week’s AFL-CIO convention in Chicago as international and national unions disaffiliated, he said. “There is no question that the front lines of organization are at the state and local levels,” Bender said. “That is something you cannot have from a centralized Washington, D.C.”

Unions will continue to push legislators and Congress to pass laws to improve health care, protect worker’s pensions, workman’s compensation and unemployment benefits, Bender said.

Washington’s labor council is one of 51 AFL-CIO-chartered state federations and nearly 550 central labor councils.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has said members of the dissident unions would no longer be welcome at state conventions, but Al Link, secretary-treasurer of the Washington council, said disaffiliated members had been invited.

Bender said the root causes of the split of labor organizations stem from dissatisfaction with Sweeney’s leadership and a desire to devote more money to attracting new union members and less to political efforts.

“These are difficult times, but like in the past … we will get through them and be stronger than ever,” Bender predicted.