AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR — CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS
The American Federation of Labor-Congress ofIndustrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a voluntaryfederation of 65 national and internationalLABOR UNIONS. It comprises 65 national unionaffiliates, 45,000 local unions, 51 state federations(including Puerto Rico), 570 central laborcouncils, and a membership of more than 13million workers. The organization, which has had enormous political influence since the1930s, is headquartered in Washington, D.C.The AFL was formed in 1886 as a loose confederationof 25 autonomous national tradeunions with more than 316,000 members. TheAFL, renouncing identification with any politicalparty or movement, concentrated on pursuingachievable goals such as higher wages andshorter work hours. Members were encouragedto support politicians who were friendly tolabor, no matter their party affiliation.During the 1930s, the AFL becameembroiled in internal conflict. The trade unionsthat dominated the AFL were composed ofskilled workers who opposed organizing the unskilled or semiskilled workers on the manufacturingproduction line. Several unionsrebelled at this refusal to organize and formedthe Committee for Industrial Organization(CIO). The CIO aggressively organized millionsof workers who labored in automobile, steel, andrubber plants. In 1938, unhappy with this effort,the AFL expelled the unions that formed theCIO. The CIO then formed its own organizationand changed its name to the Congress of IndustrialOrganizations. By the 1950s, the leadershipof both the AFL and CIO realized that a unifiedlabor movement was a necessity. In 1955, theAFL and the CIO merged into a single organization,the AFL-CIO.The AFL-CIO is primarily concerned withinfluencing legislative policies that affect unions.Its staff members conduct research, set policy, andtestify before congressional and state legislativecommittees.More importantly, the organizationprovides funds and volunteers to labor-endorsedpolitical candidates. Alhough the AFL-CIO is anonpartisan organization, it traditionally hassupported DEMOCRATIC PARTY candidates.With the 1995 election of John J. Sweeney aspresident, the AFL-CIO has made increasedunion membership its highest priority. DespiteSweeney’s most recent reelection in 2001, membershipin U.S. trade unions has continued to fallover the last several decades, as the manufacturingsector of the U.S. economy has steadily declined. Union membership in 2001 comprisedjust 13.5 percent of the workforce, comparedwith a high of 34.7 percent in 1954. Sweeney haspushed the organization to recruit women,minorities, low-paid workers, and white-collarworkers. In an effort to strengthen local unions,the AFL-CIO launched the New Alliance initiativein 2001. The purpose of the initiative is torestructure unions at the state and local levels.The day-to-day work of the federation iscarried out by 11 programmatic departments including the Organizing Department; the Field Mobilization Department; the Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Department; and the InternationalAffairs Department. Topics of majorimportance to the AFL-CIO include manufacturing, CIVIL RIGHTS, the global economy, HEALTH CARE, immigrant workers, minimum wage issues, pensions, and SOCIAL SECURITY.
FURTHER READINGS
AFL–CIO Website. Available online at <www.aflcio.org>(accessed November 13, 2003).
