Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO issued the following announcement.
POWER TO THE RANK & FILE – VT AFL-CIO TO SUBMIT RESOLUTION TO NATIONAL AFL-CIO CONVENTION ON UNION DEMOCRACY
Last night the Vermont AFL-CIO Executive Board, led by the progressive United! slate, voted to advance the following resolution on creating democratic change to the AFL-CIO to the national convention in June. Among other things, the resolution calls for changes to the AFL-CIO Constitution allowing for direct rank & file elections for national Union officers. The resolution shall be submitted to the Resolutions Committee in the coming days.
AFL-CIO SUPPORTS RANK & FILE UNION DEMOCRACY
One Member One Vote & State Labor Council Autonomy
Adopted By The Vermont AFL-CIO on April 14, 2022
By Vote of The Executive Board For Consideration of The National AFL-CIO at The 2022 Convention, Philadelphia, PA
Whereas the Labor Movement is strongest when workers, their unions, and their labor bodies are democratically empowered;
Whereas in order to make foundational change in society which will be to the benefit of union members and the working class as a whole, union members must be ready and willing to take action to advance our common agenda;
Whereas union members are most apt to take action when they are made to feel ownership over the direction, policies, and strategies of their coordinating labor bodies, and feel connection with those union officers they elect to serve in key AFL-CIO roles;
Whereas the empowerment and articulation of a collective will and judgement of the many as opposed to the few produces better decisions and cultivates ownership of such decisions by the rank & file;
Whereas the current structure of the National AFL-CIO which we have inherited can be made more democratic;
Whereas the current structure of the National AFL-CIO does not encourage rank & file participation in the decision making process, nor does it even allow for members to universally elect officers;
Whereas we would not tolerate such an undemocratic process when it comes to election of political figures, and therefore we should not tolerate it within our own organization;
Whereas a number of major unions, most recently the AFL-CIO affiliated UAW, have allowed for direct election of their officers;
Whereas union democracy should not be limited to elections, but rather should encourage rank & file debate and decision making on the local and state level;
Therefore Let It Be Resolved that prior to the next Convention the National AFL-CIO President shall work with the National Executive Board to craft a Constitutional amendment to allow for the direct election of all National AFL-CIO officers and Executive Board members by rank file AFL-CIO union members utilizing the principle of one-member-one-vote;
Let It Be Further Resolved that such a Constitutional amendment shall be voted upon at the next National AFL-CIO Convention;
Let It Be Further Resolved that should such a Constitutional Amendment be adopted by the National AFL-CIO, State Labor Councils shall be encouraged to adopt direct elections of officers as well through the amendment of their State Constitutions;
Let It Be Further Resolved that while the National AFL-CIO shall continue to possess the authority to define the national and international policies and politics of the AFL-CIO, State Labor Councils may take those positions they see fit on such matters as long as related resolutions or policy statements incorporate the acknowledgement that “This resolution represents the position of the State Labor Council and not necessarily that of the National AFL-CIO.”
Let It Be Further Resolved that while the National AFL-CIO retains the authority to make political endorsements in national elections, up until such a time when an endorsement is made, State Labor Councils may provide public recommendations to the National AFL-CIO for President of the United States. Such public statements shall not be considered an endorsement, but may express a preference. However, once the national AFL-CIO issues an official endorsement, the matter shall be considered closed, and State
Labor Councils shall endeavor to maintain a united front with the National AFL-CIO concerning election matters.
And Finally Let It Be Resolved that State Labor Councils, through their own internal democratic processes, are empowered to call for and organize General Strikes as they see fit in order to uphold and advance the interests of the working class as long as the call for
a General Strike is limited to within the relevant state borders. National General Strikes may be called for by the National AFL-CIO.
Click on the following link to read the progressive platform of the Vermont AFL-CIO (Ten Point Program For Union Power, also known as The Little Green Book): https://vt.aflcio.org/news/vermont-afl-cio-ten-point-program
Original source can be found here.
