Troublemakers Blog
September 15, 2009 / Mark Brenner
Looking for a break from the palace politics and spit-shine glitz of the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh (where, behind our reporters just hours ago, they turned back on the booming sound system to give tomorrow's speeches a dry run)? Let us transport you to downtown New Haven, where a gathering of a totally different stripe is underway.
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September 15, 2009 / Mischa Gaus
After President Obama speaks later today, the AFL-CIO convention will consider two health care resolutions, but won't vote them against each other.
Both are expected to pass unanimously.
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September 15, 2009 /
Michael Moore’s new film “Capitalism: A Love Story” premiered to a rowdy—and wholly appreciative—labor audience at the AFL-CIO convention. The event, following a noisy march from the convention center to a theater down the street, was organized by the California Nurses Association and the Labor Campaign for Single Payer among others. It offered a refreshing »
September 14, 2009 / Jane Slaughter
Asked whether the AFL-CIO would stick to earlier statements that the federation will not support a health care reform bill without a government-insurance “public option,” incoming federation President Rich Trumka ducked this morning.
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September 13, 2009 / Mischa Gaus
Labor Notes started the AFL-CIO convention week with a little something to celebrate: we took home first place for general excellence among national labor publications, in the International Labor Communications Association Labor Media awards. ILCA is the organization of editors and reporters who put together local and national union newspapers, magazines, and »
August 17, 2009 / Steve Early
When California health care workers gave up on the project of democratizing the Service Employees (SEIU) and launched a rival organization instead last winter, the road to union recognition didn’t seem so long and hard. Soon after the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) was formed in January, in response to SEIU’s trusteeship of the United Healthcare »
June 08, 2008 / Mark Brenner
Today was Anna Burger's day in the spotlight. Her stump speech was about the 2008 elections, and why politics was so important to SEIU's future. Burger, who heads up Change to Win, is apparently the czar of SEIU's political operations, and it was nice to hear her say, "There is no question that organizing and politics go hand and hand," acknowledging the link »
June 07, 2008 / Mark Brenner
Tonight the Puerto Rican teachers held a "charla" or chat with SEIU members interested in learning more about their struggle, and the conflict between SEIU and their union the FMPR. I couldn't be there but Labor Notes Policy Committee member Steve Early was on the scene. From Steve's reports, the FMPR event sounded about as far from the highly scripted, stage- »
June 06, 2008 / Mark Brenner
After the division reports, International Executive Vice President Tom Woodruff closed the show, emphasizing a couple of the key pieces of the “Justice for All” program. These include:
Ensuring all locals follow through on constitutional commitment to spend 20 percent of their budgets on organizing.
Recommendations from the International Executive Board (IEB »
June 05, 2008 / Mark Brenner
After Andy’s speech the union turned to its bread and butter, the question of organizing the unorganized (who SEIU has determined, through focus groups I guess, we should call not-yet-union workers). Executive Vice President Tom Woodruff ran the show, and spoke about some of the strategies and key campaigns the union has on its agenda.
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