RE: [Marxism] Restructuring in the AFL-CIO

["Jack Cade" <jack.cade@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

        I see what you are getting at but I would say that 400
F/T officials for 1.2 million members (in the Amicus case) is way
too high. Part of that is probably a 'heritage' problem as Amicus
is itself a merger of several unions. Although why wasn't
elimination of job duplication (as there must have been) part of
the merger deals? But the fact is that if it was run with more
democracy and involvement of the grass roots members it would
need less bureaucracy. Members could do a lot of what they do
better and more efficiently and be accountable.

        The British TUC www.tuc.org.uk, with 6.5 million
affiliates, the equivalent of the AFL-CIO, employs 'more than
300' people according to its website. Some of these will be
ancillary workers such as cleaners, printers, secretaries,
postroom, telephonists and so on. The Amicus figure I gave above
would not include these as it was just 'officials'.

        A better question than 'what do they actually do?' would
be 'how many do we actually need?' because they will all
doubtless provide a reasonable explanation of what they do but do
we need them?

Jack Cade

 
> Joaquín Bustelo
> 
> Jack Cade replied to me from Britain about my astonishment 
> that the AFL-CIO has a batallion-strength corps of 
> functionaries: "It is the same here. Amicus, one of the 
> so-called 'mega-unions' has 1.2 million members. It is 
> merging soon into a 'super union' (with the Transport and 
> General Workers Union and the GMB--General and Municipal and 
> Boilermakers) . Amicus alone has about 400 full-time
officials."
> 
> Well, yes, I would expect unions that administer contracts 
> and provide services to members to have significant staffs. 
> But the AFL-CIO, the federation of unions, doesn't do that, 
> that is done by the affiliates, nor does it organize the 
> unorganized, that is done by the affiliates also. So what do 
> these people actually do?
> 
> Inquiring minds want to know.
> 
> Joaquín



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