Now this is interesting - AFL-CIO
From
The Hill:
Labor, with union membership declining, will woo non-workers
The AFL-CIO on Monday opened the door to becoming a group that is more representative of the left than of its members.
Facing what AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka called a �crisis� of membership, officials took the dramatic step at their annual convention of adopting a resolution that invites anyone in the country to join, regardless of union affiliation.
The move faced stiff resistance from union officials who fear the AFL-CIO�s primary mission of representing workers will be left behind if the federation becomes a mouthpiece for liberal and progressive groups.
Despite the resistance, the resolution was adopted without a single �nay� vote being heard in the convention hall.
Supporters of the move to a broader membership standard said the AFL-CIO can no longer define itself by the narrow collective bargaining laws that are being challenged across the country.
�This resolution issues an invitation to every worker in the United States to join the movement for social justice,� said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). �The freedom to choose to be part of this movement must be a freedom available to every worker.�
"social justice" -- the progressive's code word for Marxism. Unions were formed to address some very specific labor issues in early America. Those issues have evolved and the original charter is no longer needed. Have the unions evolved? No. Hence their branching out trying to maintain a power base.
Posted by DaveH at September 10, 2013 5:09 PM