Paper of Record Reports on the Possible Shakeup of the AFL-CIO

The New York Times did a piece on the struggle going on right now to change the shape of the AFL-CIO, America's largest labor federation with over 13 million workers. It focuses on the personalities of Andrew Stern, the president of the Service Employees Industrial Union (SEIU) who is spearheading the charge for radical change, and John Sweeney, the president of the AFL-CIO.

From the article: "Eager to reverse labor's decline, Mr. Stern has called for a sweeping overhaul of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., proposing to cut its budget by more than 50 percent and to use the savings to vastly increase organizing by its member unions. And he has warned that the service employees, the largest union in the A.F.L.-C.I.O., may quit the labor federation unless it embraces far-reaching changes - changes that would have to be pushed through by the man who was his mentor, Mr. Sweeney, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O."

Registered delegates with the Union News can read a communication the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO received from Mr. Stern at http://www.pvaflcio.org/node/523.