What Role Can Organized Labor Play in Resolving Crises?
The AFL-CIO is conducting a vigorous national campaign for universal health coverage, but it has not defined which of the plans it favors. It will be difficult to come up with a plan that reconciles the different interests of doctors, hospitals, investors, labor unions researchers, insurance companies, HMOs, politicians, drug corporations, medical equipment manufacturers and, of course, the needs of patients, each with its own staff of lobbyists. It would be a near miracle if a universal health coverage bill passed Congress in 2009. The AFL-CIO should strive to be a consensus-builder on this issue. Both the AFL-CIO and the CtW should hire top-level analysts who can keep union members informed about the intricacies of economic developments on Wall Street and other financial centers, particularly in the global job market. It is especially alarming to learn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the past years average wage increase of 2.8 percent was wiped out by a 4 percent inflation r
