Columnist Jeff German: Labor movement reaching crossroads

Friday, June 17, 2005 | 5:19 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

WEEKEND EDITION

June 18-19, 2005

Faced with declining numbers and deeper dissension within its ranks, the future of America's labor movement is becoming more uncertain by the day.

That includes the fate of organized labor in Nevada, which traditionally has been close knit and politically active.

Last week five of the national AFL-CIO's largest and most dynamic unions -- including UNITE HERE, the culinary and laundry workers union -- took the first step toward breaking away from the storied federation.

They announced in Washington the formation of an independent coalition, with its own constitution and bylaws, to further their goal of bolstering organizing efforts across the country to restore labor's numbers and political clout.

At the same time the five unions -- which also include the Service Employees, Teamsters, Laborers and Food and Commercial Workers -- are working within the AFL-CIO to oust longtime President John Sweeney, who has not been willing to devote the amount of resources to organizing the dissidents are pushing for.

Sweeney, who's been at the helm of the AFL-CIO since 1995, is up for re-election next month at the federation's annual convention in Chicago, where the dramatic showdown over labor's future is expected to take place.

UNITE HERE Co-President John Wilhelm, who's well-known on the Las Vegas Strip, is considering running against Sweeney on behalf of the coalition, which makes up roughly one-third of the AFL-CIO's 13 million members nationwide.

Ideally for the five unions, Sweeney will either step down before the convention and allow Wilhelm to rise to power, or he will lose his re-election bid to Wilhelm at the convention.

But if neither of these scenarios develop and Sweeney remains entrenched, there's a good chance that the five unions would leave the AFL-CIO.

The executive boards of all of the dissident unions, except for the Laborers, I'm told, have already given their leaders the authority to bolt.

This is where it gets tricky for organized labor in Nevada.

Unlike the divisiveness on the national scene, the 130,000-member Nevada AFL-CIO, led by Executive Director Danny Thompson, has a good relationship with the rebellious unions.

Thompson is particularly close to the local UNITE HERE which, with 50,000 members, is by far the biggest and most influential union within the Nevada AFL-CIO.

UNITE HERE, or the Culinary Union as we know it, usually drives labor's political agenda in the state and is crucial to maintaining its strong influence with elected officials. The Teamsters also play a prominent role in Thompson's group.

So you can see why the shaky status of UNITE HERE and the other dissident unions within the national AFL-CIO might cause some sleepless nights for Thompson. His power potentially could be gutted overnight.

At the moment Thompson is putting a positive spin on the future of the state organization.

"We are a pretty cohesive unit," he says. "Regardless of what happens, we'll be together. It may not be in the same organization, but we'll be together."

Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer D. Taylor, who attended last week's Washington news conference announcing the new organizing coalition, says he has assured Thompson "100 percent" that his local will continue to work closely with the Nevada AFL-CIO.

"We think Danny does a tremendous job," Taylor says. "We don't see any effect here whatsoever."

But plenty can happen between now and the convention next month to change the opinion of the Nevada labor leaders. Some heavy-duty politicking is taking place nationally, and the fallout could be ugly.

The only thing we know for sure is that change is coming and a lot is at stake for workers across the country -- and in Nevada.