This summer the Teamsters, SEIU, UFCW, and UNITE HERE split from the AFL-CIO union federation at their annual convention in Chicago. For the first time in half a century, the US trade unions are officially divided into large, separate camps. The break up of the AFL-CIO came as a shock to many trade unionists and activists. These four unions alone represent over one third of the federation’s 13 million members. But is it a step forward for US workers?
A comment on Katrina from a reader in the USA,
who highlights how in the list of priorities of the US authorities, the defence
of private property came before helping the working class African Americans.