Union merger draws praise

Alana Roberts

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 11:10 a.m.

Powerful Democrats and labor leaders gathered Thursday in Las Vegas and praised the merger of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) and the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE).

"A big union with big ambitions needs and deserves a big name," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told a group of delegates of the two unions meeting at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The new union will be known as the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union -- or USW for short.

The combined union will represent 850,000 members in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. More than 1,600 delegates from PACE voted to merge with USWA Tuesday.

"Now you are one with 850,000 members united around one vision with one purpose- to take on and overcome the forces that are riding the backs of working families around the world," Sweeney said.

"A lot of people talk about merging unions; it's harder to do than it looks," former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt said in an earlier speech.

In the Southern Nevada area PACE represents 371 pharmacists and pharmacy support workers at Medco Health Solutions Inc. while the USWA represents about one-third of the Las Vegas Valley's 5,000 cab, bus and limo drivers, about 350 titanium workers at Titanium Metals Corp. in Henderson and about 1,000 workers at the Flamingo Laughlin.

The unions seek to increase not only their numbers but also their organizing and political power through the merger.

"And as I look around at the faces in this hall and feel the enthusiasm and the spirit in the air," Sweeney said. "I can describe the result of this historic merger with one word: Victory. Victory over injustice, victory over human need, victory over corporate greed."

Gephardt and Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee, also explained why the Democratic Party lost November's presidential election despite unprecedented numbers of union members participating in grassroots political mobilization efforts.

Gephardt and Dean said the key factor that helped the Republicans win was the fact that they not only targeted their supporters but they targeted groups that are not associated with Republicans.

"This was the best grassroots mobilization than ever before," Gephardt said. "We've got to talk to people. Evangelical Christians, gun people, pro-life people. Not that we go and agree with them."

Dean said that "the future of the Democratic party and the labor movement are entwined." He also said that those involved in campaigning on behalf of the Democratic Party must bring the message to everybody.

"We are not going to give up on any state," Dean said. "We will spread the Democratic message in every state."