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Political Activism or Grassroots Organizing? A Debate on
the Future of Organized Labor
Is the Democratic Party Turning to Anti-Choice Candidates
to Attract Conservative Voters?
Immokalee Tomato Pickers Win Campaign Against Taco Bell
Political Activism or Grassroots Organizing? A Debate
on the Future of Organized Labor
In recent weeks, a group of some of the largest unions have
begun considering leaving the AFL-CIO. At the center of the
controversy is the issue of political activism and organizing:
The AFL-CIO camp advocates directing more resources to the
federation's political program while the SEIU and its backers
want the focus to be on grassroots labor organizing. We host
a debate with the AFL-CIO and UNITE HERE.
A major crisis has been brewing for some time now within
the labor movement in this country - not just over declining
membership numbers but also over the future of organized labor
- particularly after the reelection of President Bush last
November.
In recent weeks, a group of some of the largest unions have
begun considering leaving the AFL-CIO. That group represents
roughly forty percent of the federation's 13 million members
and is led by the nation's largest union, the Service Employees
International Union or SEIU and the Teamsters, the nation's
third largest union. On the other side of the divide is AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney and most of the other unions within
the federation.
At the center of the controversy is the issue of political
activism and organizing. Sweeney's camp advocates directing
more resources to the federation's political program, which
in the last election largely meant supporting the Democrats.
The SEIU and its backers want the focus to be on grassroots
labor organizing. At the executive council meeting of the
AFL-CIO earlier this month, the dissident unions backed a
Teamsters proposal to rebate a large portion of the AFL-CIO's
budget to member unions with serious organizing programs.
In the end, though, Sweeney won out and passed a program that
directs resources to political programs rather than organizing.
To debate this issue, we are joined by two people on opposite
ends of this divide.
- Chris Chafe, Chief of Staff and Political Director at
UNITE HERE.
- Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president of the
AFL-CIO.
Is the Democratic Party Turning to Anti-Choice Candidates
to Attract Conservative Voters?
Pro-choice activists are accusing the Democratic Party of
abandoning its commitment to abortion rights and turning to
anti-choice candidates in order to woo moderate and conservative
voters. We speak with members of the National Organization
for Women and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Since suffering major electoral defeats in the last election,
abortion rights advocates have been questioning the Democrats
commitment to upholding abortion rights. Democratic National
Committee Chair Howard Dean, New York Senator Hilary Clinton
and defeated presidential candidate John Kerry have all signaled
that they believe the party needs to rethink the party's approach
to the abortion debate in order to woo moderate and conservative
voters.
Senator Clinton went so far as to call abortion, "a
sad, even tragic choice to many, many women." Abortion
rights advocates also expressed concern when congressional
democrats named professed abortion rights opponent, Senator
Harry Reid of Nevada to succeed Tom Daschle as their leader
in the senate.
The latest sign that the democrats may be turning to anti-choice
candidates, are actions that the leadership has taken in races
in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
On March 4th, Pennsylvania Democratic State Treasurer and
abortion rights opponent, Bob Casey Jr. announced his decision
to enter the 2006 U.S Senate race. The seat is currently held
by Republican Senator Rick Santorum. Casey's announcement
came after weeks of reports that he was being courted to run
by senior members of the democratic party including Senate
minority leader Harry Reid and chair of the Democratic Campaign
Committee, New York Senator Chuck Schumer. Previously, former
State Treasurer and pro-choice candidate Barbara Hafer had
made clear her intention to challenge Santorum for the senate
seat but dropped out of the race soon after Casey announced
his decision. Hafer said that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
asked her to withdraw to allow Casey to run unopposed. Bob
Casey Jr. is the son of former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey
who was a fierce abortion rights opponent.
Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, Secretary of State Matt Brown
- a democrat who supports abortion rights - is planning to
challenge the senate seat of Republican, pro-choice Senator
Lincoln Chaffee. However, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee has approached abortion rights opponent Rep. Jim
Langevin to run against Chafee stating that he'd be an excellent
candidate. Rep. Langevin will announce his decision to run
by April 1st.
Immokalee Tomato Pickers Win Campaign Against Taco
Bell
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers - a group of tomato pickers
from Florida - claimed a decisive victory in their national
boycott of fast food giant Taco Bell to improve wages and
working conditions. We speak with a farmworker with the Coalition
of Immokalee Workers and a member of the Student Farmworker
Alliance.
After nearly four years of struggle, a group of tomato pickers
from Florida have claimed a decisive victory in their grassroots
campaign against fast food giant Taco Bell.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a farmworker organization
made up largely of indigent immigrants who work tomato fields
in southwest Florida. They called off a national boycott of
Taco Bell this week after the company agreed to increase the
amount it pays for tomatoes by a penny per pound, with the
increase to go directly to workers" wages. Taco Bell
also said it will help the farmworkers' efforts to improve
working and living conditions.
Farmworkers today usually earn 40 cents for each 32-pound
bucket of tomatoes they pick, the same rate as 30 years ago.
This means a farmworker has to pick two tons of tomatoes to
earn about 50 dollars.
Also as part of the agreement, Taco Bell's parent company
- Yum Brands - announced it will help to ensure that none
of its tomato suppliers employ indentured servants. In recent
years the Coalition of Immokalee Workers helped federal authorities
prosecute farm bosses in Florida for holding workers as slaves.
The four-year boycott has grown in recent years largely due
to support from college students. Twenty-two colleges had
successfully removed or blocked Taco Bell from operating on
their campuses.
About 80 Immokalee farmworkers traveled to Louisville this
week for the "Taco Bell Truth Tour", stopping at
15 cities en route to bolster support for the boycott. The
rally on Saturday is scheduled to go on as a celebration of
the agreement.
Special thanks to Austin
Indymedia.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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