On Monday, July 25, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters unanimously voted to withdraw its membership from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
That same day, the Service Employees International Union President Andrew Stern said that SEIU’s executive board had decided to disaffiliate from the AFL-CIO.
Neither organization made an appearance at the AFL-CIO’s July 24 convention. UNITE HERE and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union also did not attend the convention.
“It’s a shame for working people that before the first vote has been cast, four unions have decided that if they can’t win, they won’t show up for the game,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeny.
“We believe in very fundamental change, not incremental reform,” Stern said. “I want to stress that this was not an easy or happy decision.”
James Hoffa, the Teamsters’ general president, said that the decision came “after months of discussion and deliberation.”
The Teamsters and the SEIU announced they had teamed with five other unions in the Change to Win coalition. Those other unions include the Laborers’ International Union of North America, UNITE HERE, UFCW, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the United Farm Workers of America.
