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Major Steps toward New Strength for Working People

SEIU and other unions have tried for 10 years to get the AFL-CIO to adopt changes that would unite the strength of millions more workers in each industry. It became clear on the eve of the AFL-CIO national convention that the AFL-CIO was not prepared to change. AFL-CIO leaders adopted many of our words but never agreed to adopt the strategies we have seen work to build growing strength and unity in our union.

SEIU members have taken two major steps toward building a stronger union movement that can win for working people and our communities.

One is that SEIU has disaffiliated from the national AFL-CIO.

The Teamsters, Food and Commercial Workers, and UNITE HERE joined SEIU in deciding that there was no point in attending the convention. The Teamsters also decided to disaffiliate.

The SEIU letter of national disaffiliation spells out ways that SEIU will continue to participate in and support local labor councils, the AFL-CIO political program, and other common efforts. It also describes how we will seek agreements with AFL-CIO unions to work together to unite the nearly 90 percent of U.S. workers who have no union and not to divide workers or waste resources in disputes involving the few workers who already have unions.

The other major step is that the 6 million member Change To Win Coalition – which includes SEIU, Teamsters, Laborers, Carpenters, Food and Commercial Workers, UNITE HERE, and Farm Workers – announced plans for the fall. The Change To Win unions are united like never before to help millions more workers join our movement so we’ll all be stronger.

New developments will continue to be posted on UniteToWin.org and ChangeToWin.org.