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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Top-down Union Leadership Stifles Freedom of Speech |
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by Nancy Dietrich-Rybicki
Email: nancydietrich (nospam) juno.com (unverified!) |
15 Mar 2001
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Top-down Union Leadership Stifles Freedom of Speech: More thoughts on the role of the AFL-CIO leadership and the trial against Carpenters Local 44 member, Dave Johnson. |
It’s been about 2 months since Dave Johnson was censured by the Champaign County AFL-CIO. For those of you not familiar with the case, Dave Johnson, Political Director and Vice- President of the Champaign County AFL-CIO, and a member of Carpenters Local 44, went on trial in front of the local AFL-CIO Executive Board January 18th for publicly supporting Ralph Nader in the Presidential race, instead of Al Gore, whom the AFL-CIO endorsed.
The unanimous censure verdict was reached after several hours of witness testimony and deliberations on the part of the Executive Board. Before the trial began, the Executive Board decided to make the trial a closed session, during which neither the public nor the press were allowed in. The censure verdict, according to Mike Klein, Illinois State Director of the AFL-CIO who presided over the trial, was the best outcome for Johnson that could have been reached by the Board, short of dropping the charges. Steve Brewer, who brought up the charges against Johnson, wanted him impeached and expelled from the Central Labor Council. Brewer is the Business Agent for the Plumbers Union 149 in Savoy, IL.
The three rationales given for the trial \"are outrageous,\" Johnson stated. The first rationale was that he had stated in a News-Gazette article that he personally endorsed presidential candidate Ralph Nader, but the article did not include the disclaimer Johnson gave beforehand stating his beliefs are his own, and did not represent the viewpoints of the AFL-CIO. Phil Bloomer, the author of the article in question, did not include this disclaimer in the article, resulting in the Board’s questioning if there actually was such a disclaimer (Bloomer himself admitted he should have included this, but decided not to become involved in the case, citing recommendations against doing so from his boss). The next rationale for the case was that Johnson released to the public his biographical information, which included the fact that he was an AFL-CIO officer. If this would not have been mentioned, the Executive Board claimed, people probably would not have associated him with the union. The last rationale for the case against Johnson was that he went public with the trial information. Apparently, the Executive Board felt that this case should have been kept behind closed doors, so the public would not be aware of the case brought up against Johnson.
Several questions have emerged from the outcome of Dave Johnson’s trial. Does being a ranking officer within the governing body of a union exempt you from protection of certain rights spelled out in the U. S. Constitution? How has this case affected the local AFL-CIO? How has this affected the AFL-CIO on a national level?
According to Dave Johnson, this was an unprecedented case which became a national issue for the AFL-CIO. Mike Klein was brought in because, \"this had become a public relations nightmare,\" for the AFL-CIO, according to Johnson. As mentioned above, one of the rationales for bringing Johnson to trial was that he went public about the trial against him.
\"This (verdict) is a violation of my constitutional rights,\" Johnson stated. This was reiterated by Mike Griffin, a labor activist and a part of Johnson’s defense team. Griffin is also the Co-Director of the WarZone Educational Foundation, which represents rank & file union members in cases such as Johnson’s. WarZone also educates union members on how to win lock-outs, helps organize non-union workers, and challenges union leadership when necessary. \"Dave Johnson cannot obtain justice within the confines of the AFL-CIO,\" Griffin stated. He emphasized the fact that union officials want to keep situations like this \"in house,\" noting that union leadership had control over the entire trial proceedings. Unions are now a \"system controlled by a handful of people,\" Griffin said. This leadership steals from the rank and file, he stated. \"This is a generation of leadership who has never had to sacrifice (like previous generations).\"
Griffin is convinced that this is not an isolated incident. He notes that unions have a history of leadership who try to silence the \"free thinkers\" within the rank & file. He strongly feels that this case is an incident of trying to silence a vocal, free thinker within the ranks- Dave Johnson.
Dave Mueller, a member of the Carpenters Local 44, concurred with Griffin’s remarks about the free-thinking nature of Dave Johnson. Mueller stated that Dave Johnson has never been afraid to speak his mind in order to represent union interests. \"He definitely represents the rank & file membership,\" Mueller stated.
Both Griffin and Mueller acknowledge that there tends to be a division between the rank & file and the leadership representing them. Many union members do not think that the leadership adequately represents the rank & file; instead, members believe, the leadership is looking out for its own interests. Griffin believes that when someone steps up and questions the leadership, they attempt to silence these individuals.
According to Mueller, Johnson has stepped up to union leadership more than once in the past, which may have contributed to the charges brought up against him for supporting Nader. \"It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,\" he quipped.
While Dave Johnson and Dave Mueller are both members of Carpenters Local 44, Mueller points out that this is largely an AFL-CIO issue, more than a Local issue. Johnson is an elected delegate to the AFL-CIO. Steve Brewer, the individual pressing charges against Johnson, is the Business Agent for Plumbers Union 149, as well as a board member of the AFL-CIO. When asked about his reaction to the outcome of the case, Brewer responded that he felt that the case had been publicized enough, and that \"As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.\"
The AFL-CIO is the national body overseeing a great number of the local unions throughout the United States. While membership to the AFL-CIO is voluntary, most unions choose to join, \"in order to gain more clout at the national level,\" Mueller stated. Recently, the Carpenters union changed from having a District Council to a Regional Council. The Regional Council consists of delegates elected by local memberships, as well as Business Agents, who are appointed by the Council. Many rank & file members, according to Mueller, have been disappointed with the change from the District Council to the Regional Council. Because the Regional Council has such a large body of members, it takes away much of the local control and puts it in the hands of people who do not have much contact with the rank & file members. For instance, contracts are negotiated solely by the Regional Council; the local bodies do not have any direct input into these negotiations. By taking power away from the local unions, Mueller notes, members feel alienated and discouraged from becoming involved in union activities. This is one of the issues Dave Johnson has brought up to the Regional Council in the past, which has increased the morale of the rank & file membership, but has not necessarily pleased the union leadership. Dave Mueller also feels that this Council acts as a buffer between local unions and the national leadership, which is another way the national leadership separates itself from the locals. This tends to \"quiet the noise,\" from the bottom, Mueller added.
Dave Johnson has three avenues he can pursue in response to the censure: he can accept the verdict, which he says he would do under protest, he can appeal to the AFL-CIO delegate body at the national level, or he can take this case to civil court. If Johnson decides to take the case to court, he said he will file personal charges against Steve Brewer, not the AFL-CIO.
So what does this mean for the future of the unions? Mike Griffin hopes Dave Johnson will take the case to court. Griffin believes there is a constant battle between rank & file members, and those who simply want power and control. \"Sometimes, you don’t know who you’re fighting: the company, or the union,\" he commented. Dave Johnson will continue fighting for the rights of workers and strong unions built upon rank & file members.
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