April 25 demonstrations: Labor defies threats by AFL-CIO's Kirkland

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La member of Kissinger Commission on Central America, which e region. Below left: Striking electrical workers in El Salvador.

In another era, AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland's March 23, 1987, letter to all state and local federation affiliates warning them against endorsing or participating in a national antiwar demonstration would have sent an an icy chill through the American labor movement. Not so today.

A feature article in the April 13, 1987, San Francisco Chronicle titled "Bay Area Unionists Will Ignore Leader to Rally" indicates that the AFL-CIO leadership's capacity to coerce its affiliates into lining up behind government war policies is on the decline.

Kirkland's letter, citing the AFL-CIO constitution, included an implied threat that dissenters might lose their charter. It was read in full last week to the delegates of the Alameda Labor Council, one of California's most influential county AFL-CIO affiliates. The delegates voted to continue their endorsement of the April 25 mass demonstrations set for San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to oppose U.S. war policies abroad and attacks on workers in this country.

Similar positions have been taken by all AFL-CIO central labor councils in the San Francisco Bay Area. Despite Kirkland's red-baiting effort, the labor councils in San Francisco, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Marin,, Santa Clara, as well as Alameda, have refused to rescind their endorsement of the April 25 actions.

Carl Finamore, co-staff director of the Western States Mobilization for Peace, Jobs and Justice, told the San Francisco Examiner (April 11) that "Kirkland represents not only a minority view in the American population, but one that is becoming more and more a minority view in the federation as a whole....He is trying to invoke a McCarthy-like-atmosphere to divide the labor movement."

Heated debate in Baltimore Meanwhile, AFL-CIO spokesman Paul Somogyi tried to downplay Kirkland's letter, describing it last week as "advisory, not a threat." But Somogyi declined to speculate about what would happen if an AFL-CIO affiliate defied the 13-millionmember federation's president. "That's a good question," he said. "It really depends on Kirkland. If he decides to lift their operating charter or whatever...that's an executive decision on his part."

The AFL-CIO regional representative in the Baltimore, Md., area was not so subtle in seeking to impose Kirkland's wishes on the Baltimore Central Labor Council. The council had endorsed the April 25 demonstration at its February meeting.

Sporting a March 17 letter addressed to the council's president, Ernie Greco, from AFL-CIO Deputy Director of Organization and Field Services Donald Slaiman, Kirkland's Baltimore-area representative told the delegates that the penalty for refusing to rescind would be the loss of their charter.

Slaiman's letter stated:

"While international affiliates have every right to endorse any demon -stration they choose to, whether it is in line with AFL-CIO policy or not, state and local central labor bodies do not have that right. On national and international affairs, they are obligated to follow the policy of the national AFL-CIO."

Following a heated discussion, the 20 SOCIALIST ACTION Above: Lane Kirkland (right) sits for increased U.S. intervention in council suspended debate on the question of rescinding, leaving the issue hanging in mid air. No vote of the delegates was taken to rescind, although a reading of the minutes of the council's executive com -mittee may later indicate that such an action was taken.

Kirkland's March 23 letter Kirkland's March 23 letter begins with half-truth:

"The AFL-CIO has received numerous inquiries from state and local central labor bodies that have been asked to endorse rallies, scheduled for April 25, to protest U.S.

policies in Central America and South Africa.

In fact, by March 23, nearly a dozen AFL-CIO affiliates, mostly in California, had been on record endorsing April 25 for several months. The largest AFL-CIO state affiliate, the 1.8-million-member California Labor Federation, featured articles on the demonstration in the federation's statewide paper, California Labor, months before. MAY 1987 tis aid to the America's uniona have generally en- Guatemala "

and spcake •.illy organis - 1o0 dis AFL-CIO Debates Contra Issue abor Federation Criticizes LS. Central Americun Aricy Br Peter Peri word.... San Franrisro Chronicle Iran unusw., sharp shine the ANAHEIM ian 14 - 41 Bay Area Unionists Will The lorgest Daily Creulation in Norther Cretlorna Inged the Reagar admir sia • use "if mit Ignore Leader to Rally This was also the case with the San Francisco Labor Council's newspaper, Northern California Labor.

San Francisco Labor Council SecretaryTreasurer Walter Johnson remains a cochair of the Western States Mobilization. He informed Kirkland that he and the delegates to his council will continue to support the April 25 demonstration —although in their "individual" capacities, an ambiguous formulation designed to avoid a head-on confrontation while at the same time maintaining the council's endorsement.

At the biweekly meeting of the San Francisco labor council on April 13, Johnson agreed to send Kirkland a letter stating the council's differences with his March 23 letter. Johnson, who explained that his council had not rescinded its support or endorsement, has made labor council office space available for coalition organizers to mobilize affiliates for the planned labor contingent.

In a March 6 letter to the delegates representing the council's 98,000 members, Jin CLAMA Bas fren trade amongste The annua mare Mobs and whooppose Is intertintion in rallies have drawn mor.

Central Inerica sit sesterdas than 55000 participants in that Iheir unsuns plan to march Fran, me the past two y in a huge rally in S later the mont The demon tigr •rom Union chiefs split over foreign policy By Larry D. Hatfield OH THE + KALAMER 51A64 An Incarasinely bitter toplesel formen patry split among the lead ers of orranted labor has threat enrd labor's participation in pro. tests arainst Prident Reapans policies in l'entral Ameria and South Africa in monstrations are planned in Pranarn and l'ahinde, Johnson wrote:

"Along with Al Lannon of the ILWU, I am serving as one of the eight co-chairs of the Mobilization.

Recent polls once again prove that the majority of the people of the United States prefer that our nation's energies be focused on the crucial questions of jobs and social justice as opposed to intervention and the nuclear arms race. ,11 Labor's majority for April 25 The Santa Clara Labor Council has taken the lead in chartering a special train for its member affiliates and other peace activists to attend the San Francisco demonstration.

Representatives of the California Labor Federation and several Bay Area labor councils, as well as scores of union locals, have regularly participated in meetings and other activities to plan and prepare the April 25 action.

Thus, Kirkland's letter was not in response to "inquiries," but rather to the (continued on page 15, in “U.S. athletes play ball in Nicaragua”) called

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oh one anolher over interta. -riv aller invitea -aanitations The Washington post... proleste again

However, they say they are united in the i. * in Central America - South San Francisco Axaminer

AFL-CO's warning on protest