Labor leader Andy Stern is stepping down after 14 years as the head of the SEIU and five as the dominant force in the alternate labor coalition, Change To Win, that he founded in a schism with the AFL-CIO. While Stern brought a unique vision and drive that made the SEIU one of the most politically important unions in the country, he also had a tendency to step on toes, creating or exacerbating personal conflicts that have been something of a distraction from his broader mission. Nonetheless, health-care reform stands as a major victory for Stern.
Now that he's out, it looks like Anna Burger, a longtime Stern confidant who currently runs Change To Win, is the front-runner for his seat. But though Burger is well regarded, more important than the question of Stern's replacement is simply that he won't be there. Why? The acerbic Stern's departure could pave the way for progress on labor reunification, a project that has gone on behind the scenes in the union world for nearly a year now.
David Bonior, the former Michigan congressman who chairs the labor-oriented nonprofit American Rights At Work, has been guiding talks on the issue, but discussions quickly stagnated. Last year, Bonoir told me that their goals were simple: "A federation that will represent over 16 million workers and their families, that's not including retirees, and it'll play a significant role in the legislative, political, and economic life of the economy." Labor blogger Mike Whitney expects those talks will pick up speed after the 2010 elections.
Standing in the way, however, were the bad relationships between Stern and several other union leaders, including then-AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and current President Rich Trumka. Without Stern in the mix, there may be a greater chance for comity in the labor coalition and perhaps reunification. Combining the resources of the two labor coalitions would make for a potent political force on behalf of working people, but the fundamental differences that drove the 2005 split -- questions of balancing resources between organizing workers and electoral politics, among other issues -- still need further resolution.
Stern's decision to leave at more or less the top of his game -- Marc Ambinder notes that SEIU employees needed health-care reform more than most other union workers -- gives labor an opening to find a bargain.
-- Tim Fernholz
