Media Contact
Adam Allington
After nearly 20 years apart, two of the nation’s largest labor groups are rejoining forces. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents some 2 million caregivers and other professionals, announced Wednesday that it will rejoin the AFL-CIO, a federation with more than 50 unions that represent more than 12.5 million workers.
Cathy Creighton is director of Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab and a former field attorney for the NLRB. She says the renewed partnership comes as the labor movement braces for anticipated attacks from the federal government under president-elect Donald Trump.
Creighton says:
“Solidarity is a founding principle of the labor movement. Almost 20 years ago, several international unions made the decision to leave the AFL-CIO and pursue a policy more focused on organizing and aggressive tactics. Today’s announcement of the return of SEIU to the AFL-CIO is welcome news to the labor movement and is furthering the solidarity of working people around the United States.
“Workers win when they fight together, and having an important and powerful union such as SEIU working in concert with the AFL-CIO is critical. This is especially so as the Trump administration is set to come into office in less than two weeks. Trump’s prior administration was decidedly anti-union and it is widely expected that he will expand upon his agenda to strangle the labor movement.”