Big Nevada union pulling out of AFL-CIO

Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 | 10:54 a.m.

UNITE HERE, which represents 450,000 apparel and hospitality industry workers, has joined several other dissident unions in leaving the AFL-CIO.

"We've become persuaded that, after two years of trying to reform the national AFL-CIO, it is unwilling to change," said John Wilhelm, president of UNITE HERE's hospitality division, which includes some 60,000 Las Vegas casino workers.

"We're not mad at anybody, but we believe that we have to build a labor movement that focuses on organizing unorganized workers who want to be unions, on partnering with employers who want to work with us and on integrating immigrants into our society."

Wilhelm told the Sun this morning that UNITE HERE's general executive board voted unanimously Tuesday to disaffiliate from the AFL-CIO, the giant labor federation of more than 50 unions that now represents about 9 million workers.

Bruce Raynor, UNITE HERE's general president, said his union concluded it was time to "join hands with six sister organizations and strike off in a direction of focusing more on organizing."

UNITE HERE is joining the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers and the Carpenters informing a dissident labor federation that has been calling itself the Change To Win Coalition. The Laborers International Union of North America and the United Farm Workers are also part of the new federation, but have not left the AFL-CIO.

The new coalition represents about 6 million workers. In all, departures from the AFL-CIO represent about $32 million of the AFL's $120 million budget.

D. Taylor, secretary-treasurer of UNITE HERE's largest local, the Culinary Union in Las Vegas, hailed the split this morning.

"Any change is a risk but, in my opinion, this is not too risky," he said. "If we stayed the same path, labor would have been totally inconsequential to the lives of workers."

Taylor said his local, along with the other Change to Win unions planned to continue being a part of the Nevada AFL-CIO, which is set to hold its annual state convention later this month.

Danny Thompson, the Nevada AFL-CIO's executive director, had been considering forming a new labor federation in the state to accomodate the Change to Win Coalition, which makes up roughly 80 percent of the labor movement here.

Thompson could not be reached for comment, but Taylor said that may not be necessary now.

Wilhelm said all of UNITE HERE's locals were being asked to stay in their state organizations.

"We're going to continue to seek stability at the state and local level because some of those operations are very effective," he said.

Wilhelm said "the only way to reverse the decline in living standards is for the labor movement to be bigger and stronger. There are millions of workers who want better living standards."

Political activity remains important to his union, Raynor said, "but unless the labor movement grows to increase workers' standard of living, that has got to be our fundamental purpose. We have to put the resources where the words are."

Raynor said UNITE HERE is prepared to stand with AFL-CIO unions in future national efforts.

AFL-CIO spokeswoman Lane Windham said: "UNITE HERE's leadership made the wrong decision for their members and for America's working people. The AFL-CIO was strongly supporting UNITE HERE's plans to launch a major organizing initiative in the hotel industry."

When the AFL-CIO formed 50 years ago, union membership was at its zenith, with one of every three private-sector workers belonging to a labor group. Now, fewer than 8 percent of private-sector workers are unionized.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.