AFL-CIO
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AFL-CIO stands for "American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations". It is America's largest federation of labor unions, made up of 61 national and international (i.e., including Canada) unions, together representing over 14 million workers. The AFL-CIO was formed in 1955 when the AFL and CIO merged after a long estrangement.
Four member unions have more than one million members each: the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (usually referred to merely as "The Teamsters").
After the defeat of the "Labor candidate" in November 2004 (John Kerry), the AFL-CIO is undergoing some intense internal debate. SEIU, the Teamsters, the UFCW and other unions have threatened to secede from the AFL-CIO if their demands for major reorganization are not met. AFSCME has sided with President Sweeney and against SEIU.
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International policy
The AFL-CIO have maintained two organizations to engage with other labor unions across the world, both as joint partners with the United States Government: the American Institute for Free Labor Development and the American Center for International Labor Solidarity.
Presidents
- George Meany (1955-1979)
- Lane Kirkland (1979-1995)
- Thomas R. Donahue (1995)
- John J. Sweeney (1995- )
Other officers
- Executive Vice-President Linda Chavez-Thompson
- Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka
See also:
External links
- Official site (http://aflcio.org)