Back in 2005, there was a very strong difference of opinion on what unions should be doing in the present that led to the split of the AFL-CIO. One group led by SEIU and the Teamsters wanted to focus more on union organizing and growing membership. The other side led by John Sweeney at the AFL-CIO were said to want to continue pursuing the political side. While that is a very simplistic summary I’ve just given I think it recalls the basic cause of the fissure. However, there are journalists like Phil Dine who feel that the split wasn’t necessecary, as if the AFL-CIO really couldn’t do both.

Now it appears that Change to Win and the AFL-CIO want to mend things:

To bring about reunification, several labor leaders have called for revamping and modernizing the A.F.L.-C.I.O., traditionally the nation’s main federation, currently with 56 member unions. But several labor leaders have called for replacing the A.F.L.-C.I.O. with a new, more dynamic group.

There was general agreement that any future federation should focus on political and legislative matters, while also serving to encourage individual unions to do more to organize workers.

The leaders of several breakaway unions have called for changing the name of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. because they had vowed never to return to the same federation.

Do they really have to change the name? Well, maybe it might be a good thing to signal a new direction possibly. It is also interesting to see that the NEA is getting involved with this reunificaiton attempt.

Ask President-Elect Obama not to let the outgoing Bush Admin Steal Farm Worker Protections

The Bush Administration just released midnight regulation changes that make it easier for growers to slash the pay of domestic farm workers and hire imported foreign laborers instead of U.S. field workers. They will weaken government protections in an industry known for violating the minimum wage, housing requirements and other rules. The changes in H-2A regulations were revealed on the DOL website late Monday evening, but have not been formally published in the Federal Register.

Like the farm workers aren’t getting paid low enough already? They might as well start enslaving people to work on farms.

PAL member Change to Win challenges CVS

A group of labor unions is launching a campaign that accuses CVS Caremark Corp. of violating patient privacy and improperly pushing doctors to prescribe a costly prescription drug.

CVS who basically purchased Caremark in 2007 doesn’t seem to care about privacy when profit is concerned. The drug that CVS is pushing is Merck’s diabetes drug Januvia. They appear to be pressuring doctors to prescribe this drug.

Januvia is as much as eight times more expensive than many other diabetes treatments, according to a recent study. Some medical experts say patients may not need the drug and may respond just as well to older, cheaper treatments…

CVS and Merck a filthy marriage indeed.

Steven Greenhouse–who by the way has written an excellent book–writes in the NY Times that the two labor federations are working together for the upcoming election in 2008. Actually I don’t think this is the first time they’ve done this. I think they might have done this for the 2006 mid-term elections as well.

Mr. Cohen said there had been initial discussions about what might be done to bring back some of the breakaway unions, but he said the overwhelming focus for the next 15 weeks would be on the political campaign. After Election Day, he and several other union presidents said, talks might pick up on patching up differences between some Change to Win unions and the A.F.L.-C.I.O.

The question is after the election is over, could we realistically see CTW folding back into the AFL-CIO?

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