20,000 at AFL-CIO rally in Central Park

By Roy Rydell

NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of New York union members marched into Central Park, Sept. 1 for a spirited rally, cheering as AFL-CIO leaders called on them to organize the unorganized.

New York Central Labor Council President Brian McLaughlan told the crowd that New York City is the "greatest union city in the United States. We've got a million and a half members."

He introduced six immigrant workers who have joined unions in the city. "They are representative of the workers we want to organize," he said. "We're an immigrant city." Organizing all workers of every nationality is the key to fighting corporate America's cheap labor strategy, he said. "We can't do it alone. If our living standards go down, everybody's living standards go down," adding there is a renaissance and the AFL-CIO is a force for change."

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told the crowd that two million workers in New York state belong to unions, 25 percent of the work force. Referring to immigrant workers he said, "These six workers represent millions who want to make themselves and our movement stronger by joining our unions. But they cannot do so because their employers are willing to bend the law, break the law and use the courts to remake the laws." The crowd broke into a chant, "Giuliani must go," referring to the New York City mayor and his union busting strategy.

Sweeney denounced the hostile anti-labor policies that have widened the chasm between the rich and the poor. "CEOs now make 419 times more than what their employees make." "More right-wing ideologues are trying to destroy our unions."

He also blasted Congress for trying to give the federal budget surplus to the rich in the form of tax cuts instead of using it to strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

Sweeney announced that the AFL-CIO is launching this Labor Day a campaign called "Voice at Work: Freedom to Choose a Union."

"We've got to tell the public our story that union workers make 32 percent more in wages than non-union workers. We have fully paid health insurance and decent pensions ... We are on the verge of one of the greatest comebacks in our nation's history, Sweeney said. "I want every one of you to work harder than you ever thought you could work to help working people organize unions and organize our communities behind these workers and organize your fellow workers to get involved in the political decisions that are changing our way of life."

The AFL-CIO leader also announced that sermons will be delivered from more than 600 pulpits this Sunday to "strengthen the bonds between church and union for faith and justice." One aim, he said is to "expose the ugly war on workers being waged by employers." He called for an all-out drive next year to register millions of new union members to vote "and then turn them out by the tens of millions to hold those candidates accountable on election day."