A Special Message from John Sweeney, AFL-CIO President

By John Sweeney, President AFL-CIO

America’s new war on terrorism—coupled with massive layoffs—has created the greatest challenge for labor leaders since World War II.

The need to prepare union members for potential new risks on the job—while also helping hundreds of thousands of laid-off members get back on their feet—have placed enormous demands on the labor movement nationwide.

Unions are meeting these challenges head-on. Across the country they are setting up emergency one-stop employment centers at airports, union halls, even in the cafeteria of the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Union representatives are speeding up the delivery of unemployment benefits, holding rallies to generate public support for improved benefits, and, most of all, working directly with affected families, union and non-union alike, to help them get through this crisis.

Unions at every level, assisted by AFL-CIO Community Services, have joined long-standing allies like the United Way and many faithbased groups to help working families avoid eviction, keep food on the table, and maintain health care coverage. These are difficult tasks, and, as of this writing, the federal government has not provided much assistance.

Another major resource in these difficult times has been the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute. For more than three decades, the Institute (formerly the Human Resources Development Institute) has assisted state federations, central labor councils, and union organizations nationwide in developing effective and comprehensive layoff response programs.

This fall, while offering critical advice and information to labor leaders on how to meet the immediate needs of working families, the Institute also is working to help turn the current economic calamity into a meaningful opportunity for affected union members.

During past economic slowdowns unions have succeeded in helping displaced workers use down time as training time. The Institute and many unions are working hard to develop programs that will enable laid-off workers to improve their skills so they can return to their original industries and be more productive at higher pay.

This is not as hard a sell as some might think. In Las Vegas, the Culinary and Hospitality Academy, created by HERE and the Las Vegas hotel industry, has reported a 33 percent increase in workers taking skills improvement courses since September 11. The reason? Because many of the academy’s latest enrollees have either been laid off or had their hours reduced so they have more time for training.

While addressing these immediate needs and opportunities, the Institute is also providing leadership in making sure that the next economic recovery benefits both workers and employers —not just the corporate bottom line. The goal is to advance the lives of working families while also building a stronger economy.

Unions alone cannot make this happen. We need to develop innovative partnerships—partnerships not only between unions and employers, but also among unions, employers, community groups, academic and political leaders, foundations, government agencies, schools and colleges. Fortunately, we do not have to start from scratch. Through the work of many unions and the support of the Institute, a number of high road part- nerships already are in place. Most of these partnerships were engaged in meeting the demands of a tight labor market prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, many have changed course to meet the pressing needs of a significant jobs crisis. In New York City, we have seen several of these long-standing partnerships strengthened since the September 11 tragedies.

Partnerships like these can work strategically to help rescue and modernize ailing industries and create training programs that benefit both workers and employers. It’s easier said than done, of course, but we are seeing signs of success.

When the AFL-CIO created the Working for America Institute in 1998, one of the Institute’s top priorities was to better understand these win-win high road partnerships.

Following the September 11 attacks, the Institute has redoubled its efforts to identify elements that make these partnerships successful, the barriers that stand in their way, and the technical assistance that could expand their reach and effectiveness.

Ultimately, to be successful requires all of us in the labor movement to get involved and stay connected. The Institute, together with the AFL-CIO, is working to improve communications and broaden its reach in communities nationwide. This new publication, Connections, is one example of these efforts.