The Washington Times, February 28, 2005, Monday

Copyright 2005 Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Copyright 2005 The Washington Times
The Washington Times

February 28, 2005, Monday

HEADLINE: Challengers to labor chief expected to emerge at annual meeting

BYLINE: By William Glanz

BODY:

John Sweeney took over the AFL-CIO in 1995 promising to rejuvenate the labor movement. Ten years later, the movement is stalled.
But the 70-year-old New Yorker said he wants to stay in power and help usher in reforms.
"I'm definitely running for re-election," he said. "I think I'm the best person to lead the labor movement to take on the challenges that we're faced with."
Labor leaders will gather in Las Vegas tomorrow for the executive council's annual winter meeting. Topping the agenda are reform and labor's decline, but Mr. Sweeney's future with the federation is a compelling subplot.
He has avoided a direct threat to his presidency so far.
"No one is publicly opposing him yet, but there's a lot of speculation," said Kent Wong, director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Challengers could emerge in Las Vegas, Mr. Wong said, but union members won't pick their next president until the labor federation's convention in July.
John Wilhelm, president of the hospitality division of Unite Here, the union representing hotel, restaurant and apparel workers, is one of Mr. Sweeney's potential challengers.
Andrew L. Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has been the most vocal advocate of reform within the labor movement, but he has said he will not challenge Mr. Sweeney.
As labor leaders talk of reform, Mr. Sweeney could be in jeopardy.
"There are indications that some unions think a change of leadership is appropriate," said Richard Hurd, a professor of labor relations at Cornell University.
Mr. Sweeney's supporters include the Communications Workers of America, the American Federation of Teachers, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Mr. Wilhelm's support includes his own Unite Here and Mr. Stern's SEIU.
Mr. Sweeney remains popular partly because he has developed a sound political action machine at the AFL-CIO, which sits in the shadow of the White House but has little influence with the Bush administration.
His tenure at the AFL-CIO will depend in part on how he handles discussion of reform throughout this week's executive council meeting. If he is seen as helping choreograph reform proposals, he could strengthen his candidacy for a third term, Mr. Hurd said.
Mr. Sweeney has taken the tactful approach of embracing change. Last week, he put his support behind a proposal to invest more money in organizing efforts.
"The discussion that is going on inside the labor movement is really inspiring and really important," Mr. Sweeney said. "We'll be pushing ideas for change that grow out of this discussion and debate."
That is a shrewd response, said Paul Clark, professor of labor relations at Pennsylvania State University.
"What we're not seeing is the incumbent dig in his heels and taking talk of reform as criticism. He's saying, 'Let's talk about what we need to do to move labor forward,' " Mr. Clark said.