A QUIET CONVENTION AFTER ALL?

The latest from the Change to Win Coalition is that there's apparently a good chance that all six internationals will skip Monday's AFL-CIO convention entirely. One leader told Harold Meyerson:

What's the point of going when clearly there's a majority that feels that they don't want to make fundamental changes? We don't want to fight with them. Why have a big fight?"

Thing is, they do want a fight over the future of the labor movement, and it's a fight that's sorely needed. It's the Change to Win dissidents who've rightly been arguing to this point that contentious soul-searching, not superficial unity, is what the federation needs right now. So seems to me like showing up to the Chicago convention to argue for their ammendments and their vision is worth the trip, even if the deck is stacked against them We'll see whether that happens. Meanwhile, John Wilhelm has resigned as head of the AFL-CIO's Immigration Committee, a post from which he built a unanimous consensus, in the face of strong initial opposition, behind the federation's historic reversal in favor of the rights of undocumented immigrants. That change, which started out of vision and necessity in progressive locals around the country, has been and will be critical to the future of the movement. Wilhelm's role in it demonstrates that one can and must fight for reform within the movement and for empowerment of the movement within society at the same time. His letter of resignation is here; John Sweeney responds here. And yesterday, the Executive Board of the Teamsters voted unanimously to follow SEIU, UNITE HERE, and the Laborers in authorizing their leaders to leave the AFL-CIO:

The General President and the Presidents of the other CTWC Unions have been discussing these issues with the AFL-CIO and those discussions are continuing. It is apparent, however, that, without dramatic change in structure and leadership, the Federation and its affiliated Unions will be unable to accelerate the organizing necessary to reverse the downward trend in union membership and will be unable to protect existing contract standards that establish fair wages and working conditions for our members and the members of other responsible Unions. If there is not substantial change at the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters must chart its own, independent course, must work with the like-minded Unions that are part of the Change To Win Coalition, and must pursue our own programs to accelerate organizing, increase Union density in our core industries, rebuild the labor movement and insure a better future for workers and their families.

I'm headed off for the weekend to a libertarian seminar (no, I haven't gone over to the dark side - I'm just willing to accept free room and board and senior essay fodder from them) - more on all this once I escape from Hayek-ville...