AFL-CIO POLICIES

Vol. 8, No. 2
April, 1999



	AFL-CIO POLICIES & ACTIONS AFL-CIO Plans $40M Voter Mobilization Jump-starting its campaign for Election 2000, the AFL-CIO's executive council, at its Miami meeting on Feb. 15-19, approved a political war chest of $40 million to be spent over two years and a broad-based agenda in behalf of working families. About two thirds of the fund would come from affiliated international unions through a one dollar per capita donation and the rest from the federation's budget. Contrary to popular belief, not a penny will go to any of the candidates or either political party. Instead, the fund will be used for an intensive campaign to educate union members and allies on the issues of the election. Labor's top legislative priority is to keep Social Security intact as a basic safety net for retired workers and disabled people and to oppose every effort to privatize the system. It is adamantly against any decrease in benefits, raising the age limit or permitting even small private investment accounts. The federation will organize mass rallies on Social Security in 50 major cities in the next three months, similar to the one it held in Miami during the council meeting. In addition to protecting Social Security and Medicare, the labor agenda will call for an increase in the minimum wage, passage of a patients' rights bill, substantial funding for school construction, the hiring of thousands of new teachers, stronger worker rights laws, and proposals to help millions of contingent workers, who are mostly non-union. Given the Republican Party's decline in public favor and its slim five-member margin in the House, unions see a strong possibility of winning back a Democratic majority. It also hopes to make inroads in the Senate, where the Republicans hold a 55-45 majority. Discussing the upcoming political campaign, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said: "The primary focus will be on grass-roots mobilization, as was the case in 1998. We saw in California that we were able to mobilize 25,000 people to defeat Proposition 226, which would have kicked union members out of politics. If we can do it in California, we can do it nationwide." Labor's Views on Social Security AFL-CIO President John Sweeney outlined the position of organized labor in the current public debate over the future of Social Security in a speech at a conference of the American Association of Retired Persons, the nation's largest organization of retirees. He said the federation would insist on a series of principles that would safeguard the safety net provisions that have been in effect since 1935. Any effort by Congress to guarantee the future solvency of the federal pension system must insure that benefits are maintained for current and future retirees; that there be no increase in the retirement age, and that Social Security funds should not be used, even in part, for private investment accounts. He also emphasized that unions oppose a Republican plan to use federal budget surpluses for a 10 percent, across-the-board tax cut. Beyond insisting that Social Security remain intact, Sweeney offered no proposals to provide it with the money to meet its financial obligations to the baby boomers when they reach retirement age. One of the proposals that appears to have wide support within the labor movement is to remove the current $72,000 cap on payroll taxes, so that people earning above that amount will have to pay additional taxes. He had no comment on President Clinton's proposal to invest a portion of budget surpluses into the stock market to earn a higher rate of return for the Social Security Trust Fund. He said the proposal was being studied, as is the White House plan to devote 12 percent of the projected surpluses to create universal savings accounts. Council Urges Changes in Global Trade The AFL-CIO Executive Council has issued a lengthy policy statement in which it demonstrates the harmful effects that today's global trade and investment practices have had on workers in Asia, Russia, Latin America and the United States. It notes that while millions of workers in the crisis-ridden countries are suffering alarming increases in unemployment, poverty and hunger, U.S. workers are not immune from global financial and social turmoil. Since March 1998, the United States has lost 285,000 manufacturing jobs."Trade-related job loss will likely grow in 1999, as the trade deficit in goods is projected to climb from about $240 billion in 1998 to close to $500 billion this year," the statement reads. The AFL-CIO reaffirms its strong objection to the deterioration of labor standards in many of the developing countries where American companies have ongoing trade and investment relations. Noting that the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be meeting in the U.S. in November, the executive council urges a tough policy toward those countries that fail to enforce labor laws and environmental standards to attract trade and investment. It says: "The U.S. government must radically reorder its priorities, so that our trading partners understand that enforceable worker rights and environmental protection are essential elements in the core of any trade and investment agreements. Unilateral grants of preferential trade benefits must also meet this standard. The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the proposed extension of NAFTA benefits to the Caribbean and Central America fall far short and are unacceptable." Union Membership Grew in Many States Although still far short of the membership growth it needs to regain its lost strength, the AFL-CIO can take some solace from the fact that in 32 states, unions grew or membership remained stable, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than half the states also showed an increase in the percentage of their work force which is unionized. "This new data confirms that today's unions are on the right track," declared AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "Our commitment and dedication to organizing, at all levels of the labor movement, is beginning to bear fruit — but we still have a long way to go. We need to stay focused and redouble our efforts." A closer look at the economy's individual sectors shows that unions recruited at least 373,000 new members last year, primarily in the service, communications, utilities and government sectors, but suffered heavy job losses in manufacturing. Protest China's Crackdown on Activists The AFL-CIO has called on the U.S. government to seek the immediate release of known worker activists and political dissidents in China and to convince the Chinese leadership to end its latest crackdown. A statement by the federation's executive council said: "The United States must lead in a new approach to engagement with China that achieves a reciprocal, non-discriminatory trading relationship and supports those working toward the emergence of a free and democratic China."

AFL-CIO POLICIES & ACTIONS

AFL-CIO Plans $40M Voter Mobilization

Jump-starting its campaign for Election 2000, the AFL-CIO's executive council, at its Miami meeting on Feb. 15-19, approved a political war chest of $40 million to be spent over two years and a broad-based agenda in behalf of working families. About two thirds of the fund would come from affiliated international unions through a one dollar per capita donation and the rest from the federation's budget.

Contrary to popular belief, not a penny will go to any of the candidates or either political party. Instead, the fund will be used for an intensive campaign to educate union members and allies on the issues of the election.

Labor's top legislative priority is to keep Social Security intact as a basic safety net for retired workers and disabled people and to oppose every effort to privatize the system. It is adamantly against any decrease in benefits, raising the age limit or permitting even small private investment accounts. The federation will organize mass rallies on Social Security in 50 major cities in the next three months, similar to the one it held in Miami during the council meeting.

In addition to protecting Social Security and Medicare, the labor agenda will call for an increase in the minimum wage, passage of a patients' rights bill, substantial funding for school construction, the hiring of thousands of new teachers, stronger worker rights laws, and proposals to help millions of contingent workers, who are mostly non-union.

Given the Republican Party's decline in public favor and its slim five-member margin in the House, unions see a strong possibility of winning back a Democratic majority. It also hopes to make inroads in the Senate, where the Republicans hold a 55-45 majority.

Discussing the upcoming political campaign, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said: "The primary focus will be on grass-roots mobilization, as was the case in 1998. We saw in California that we were able to mobilize 25,000 people to defeat Proposition 226, which would have kicked union members out of politics. If we can do it in California, we can do it nationwide."

Labor's Views on Social Security

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney outlined the position of organized labor in the current public debate over the future of Social Security in a speech at a conference of the American Association of Retired Persons, the nation's largest organization of retirees. He said the federation would insist on a series of principles that would safeguard the safety net provisions that have been in effect since 1935.

Any effort by Congress to guarantee the future solvency of the federal pension system must insure that benefits are maintained for current and future retirees; that there be no increase in the retirement age, and that Social Security funds should not be used, even in part, for private investment accounts. He also emphasized that unions oppose a Republican plan to use federal budget surpluses for a 10 percent, across-the-board tax cut.

Beyond insisting that Social Security remain intact, Sweeney offered no proposals to provide it with the money to meet its financial obligations to the baby boomers when they reach retirement age. One of the proposals that appears to have wide support within the labor movement is to remove the current $72,000 cap on payroll taxes, so that people earning above that amount will have to pay additional taxes.

He had no comment on President Clinton's proposal to invest a portion of budget surpluses into the stock market to earn a higher rate of return for the Social Security Trust Fund. He said the proposal was being studied, as is the White House plan to devote 12 percent of the projected surpluses to create universal savings accounts.

Council Urges Changes in Global Trade

The AFL-CIO Executive Council has issued a lengthy policy statement in which it demonstrates the harmful effects that today's global trade and investment practices have had on workers in Asia, Russia, Latin America and the United States. It notes that while millions of workers in the crisis-ridden countries are suffering alarming increases in unemployment, poverty and hunger, U.S. workers are not immune from global financial and social turmoil.

Since March 1998, the United States has lost 285,000 manufacturing jobs."Trade-related job loss will likely grow in 1999, as the trade deficit in goods is projected to climb from about $240 billion in 1998 to close to $500 billion this year," the statement reads.

The AFL-CIO reaffirms its strong objection to the deterioration of labor standards in many of the developing countries where American companies have ongoing trade and investment relations. Noting that the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be meeting in the U.S. in November, the executive council urges a tough policy toward those countries that fail to enforce labor laws and environmental standards to attract trade and investment. It says:

"The U.S. government must radically reorder its priorities, so that our trading partners understand that enforceable worker rights and environmental protection are essential elements in the core of any trade and investment agreements. Unilateral grants of preferential trade benefits must also meet this standard. The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the proposed extension of NAFTA benefits to the Caribbean and Central America fall far short and are unacceptable."

Union Membership Grew in Many States

Although still far short of the membership growth it needs to regain its lost strength, the AFL-CIO can take some solace from the fact that in 32 states, unions grew or membership remained stable, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than half the states also showed an increase in the percentage of their work force which is unionized.

"This new data confirms that today's unions are on the right track," declared AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "Our commitment and dedication to organizing, at all levels of the labor movement, is beginning to bear fruit — but we still have a long way to go. We need to stay focused and redouble our efforts."

A closer look at the economy's individual sectors shows that unions recruited at least 373,000 new members last year, primarily in the service, communications, utilities and government sectors, but suffered heavy job losses in manufacturing.

Protest China's Crackdown on Activists

The AFL-CIO has called on the U.S. government to seek the immediate release of known worker activists and political dissidents in China and to convince the Chinese leadership to end its latest crackdown. A statement by the federation's executive council said: "The United States must lead in a new approach to engagement with China that achieves a reciprocal, non-discriminatory trading relationship and supports those working toward the emergence of a free and democratic China."

Return to Newsmagazine Cover Page