Union Yips
The AFL-CIO just lost some serious backing this week. The last successful 'manly' unions including Teamsters, SEIU, Food and Commercial Workers and Unite Here have split. There are macro and micro implications for the AFL-CIO.
In losing the Teamsters they lose the one Union that is the most recognizable, most easily embraced by both political parties, and has the most recognizable leader in James Hoffa Jr. Maybe you saw the movie. In a macro sense, Teamsters are about moving goods around America, and you just can't outsource that. The SEIU has been the most agressive and successful union at organizing the last decade. Their leader is a liberal nut, but he's a nut who pours his energy into union drives as opposed to legistlation. In the macro, service employees are surging while manufacturing employees are eroding. The Food and Commercial Union has been taking on the big prize - WalMart. They have seen little success so far, but they are persistent. In a Macro sense, they're going after Walmart - enough said.
The AFL-CIO is now left with two widely disparate groups, who's only unifying factor is the election of Democrats. The old, shrinking, more 'manly' industrial unions such as the UAW and AMFA on the one hand - and AFCSME, the teachers union, and other 'girly' and growing unions that live off of tax dollars.
The splinter unions have argued that the AFL-CIO has spent too much effort on politics and not enough on organizing. I'm mildly surprised that these splinter unions were able to recognize that their bottom line is best served by a growing economy rather than government largesse.
The Republican in me is loving this. These large unions are pulling their dollars, manpower and focus away from elections. The absence of union influence will only allow the Moveon types a less cluttered message that will continue to scare Americans away from the left, and the vast effort at GOTV will suffer as well.
The manager in me is spooked. You now have 4 unions focusing on organizing the workplace and another shunted union that will probably try to compete. This means that hundreds of more workplaces will undergo the arduous unionizing drives which will kill employee morale and productivity. Target #1? The war for Walmart. This doesn't bode well for the old stock portfolio.
In losing the Teamsters they lose the one Union that is the most recognizable, most easily embraced by both political parties, and has the most recognizable leader in James Hoffa Jr. Maybe you saw the movie. In a macro sense, Teamsters are about moving goods around America, and you just can't outsource that. The SEIU has been the most agressive and successful union at organizing the last decade. Their leader is a liberal nut, but he's a nut who pours his energy into union drives as opposed to legistlation. In the macro, service employees are surging while manufacturing employees are eroding. The Food and Commercial Union has been taking on the big prize - WalMart. They have seen little success so far, but they are persistent. In a Macro sense, they're going after Walmart - enough said.
The AFL-CIO is now left with two widely disparate groups, who's only unifying factor is the election of Democrats. The old, shrinking, more 'manly' industrial unions such as the UAW and AMFA on the one hand - and AFCSME, the teachers union, and other 'girly' and growing unions that live off of tax dollars.
The splinter unions have argued that the AFL-CIO has spent too much effort on politics and not enough on organizing. I'm mildly surprised that these splinter unions were able to recognize that their bottom line is best served by a growing economy rather than government largesse.
The Republican in me is loving this. These large unions are pulling their dollars, manpower and focus away from elections. The absence of union influence will only allow the Moveon types a less cluttered message that will continue to scare Americans away from the left, and the vast effort at GOTV will suffer as well.
The manager in me is spooked. You now have 4 unions focusing on organizing the workplace and another shunted union that will probably try to compete. This means that hundreds of more workplaces will undergo the arduous unionizing drives which will kill employee morale and productivity. Target #1? The war for Walmart. This doesn't bode well for the old stock portfolio.
posted by Bill Gilles | 7:00 PM
3 Comments:
Mullings and I are on the same wave length - I got this a few hours after my post: http://www.mullings.com/currentissue.htm
I'm trying to figure this out. Do you finally cross the line when you post on your own blog?
Among the many errors in your short essay, AMFA is not, and never was, affiliated with the AFL-CIO. You could look it up.
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