An attempt to organize nurses in Ohio is pitting two of the nation's largest labor groups against each other.
The confrontation underscores divisions within the labor movement just as unions are trying to coordinate efforts to help elect a Democrat to the White House. Indeed, one union recently urged its locals to withhold dues typically used for voter turnout. More significantly, such fighting could tarnish the image of unions, which have been trying to stem the decline in membership and attract more workers, say labor experts.
The dispute between the Service Employees International Union and the California Nurses Association, which belongs to the AFL-CIO, stems from an effort by both unions to organize 8,000 nurses at nine Catholic Healthcare Partners hospitals in Ohio. The two unions are also battling for members in California.
The fight pits John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, against Andy Stern, president of the SEIU, who led a movement by several unions to leave the AFL-CIO in 2005.
On Saturday, a scuffle broke out between members of the SEIU and participants in a labor solidarity conference in Detroit at which the executive director of the California Nurses Association was scheduled to speak. One attendee was sent to the hospital after cutting her head on a table, according to Chris Kutalik, editor of the magazine Labor Notes, which organized the conference.
Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the 66,000-member nurses' association, decided not to appear at the conference because of tensions between the unions. "Our folks are extremely upset about what happened," she said. "This is a nasty campaign."
Mr. Sweeney condemned the confrontation. "There is no justification -- none -- for the violent attack orchestrated by SEIU," he said in a statement. Mr. Sweeney called on leaders of both unions to meet to resolve their differences.
Mr. Stern, president of the 1.7 million-member SEIU, denied that his union orchestrated an attack and said his protesters were "assaulted" by conference attendees. He said Mr. Sweeney should prevent AFL-CIO members from interfering in the SEIU's Ohio organizing attempt. "John Sweeney has the power to solve this problem," Mr. Stern said.
Kate Bronfenbrenner, a labor expert at Cornell University, said such disputes are hurting unions' ability to attract young people. "It could have huge repercussions," she said.
By: Kris Maher
Wall Street Journal; April 16, 2008
