In the US yesterday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Workers United and UNITE HERE announced a settlement agreement on behalf of the unions' members and elected leadership that will bring to a close the protracted dispute between the unions. Some divisive and self interested elements had sought to import the dispute into the British and European trade union movement. http://www.seiu.org/2010/07/seiu-workers-united-and-unite-here-settle-dispute.php
Newly-elected SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, who had made settling this dispute a top priority of her administration, issued the following statement: "Working families all around this nation are facing the most profound crisis since the Great Depression. There are 26 million people out of work and far too many more who are facing cutbacks, layoffs, and benefit reduction. When hardworking people are losing the roof over their head or borrowing money to pay for groceries, we know we have more work to do. This moment calls on all of us in the American labor movement to dedicate ourselves to being part of the solution.
"Despite the tensions that have existed between our unions over the past months, John Wilhelm, Bruce Raynor and I have worked together to find common ground and we've been able to put our differences behind us. We agree that we cannot be spending our time fighting one other over workers who are already represented when there are far too many people who want and need a voice on the job. Our resources and our attention must be put toward solutions for the crisis workers face right now.
"We need to drive change for people in this country. None of us can go it alone. Moving forward, SEIU plans to link arms with our allies in labor and the progressive movement and forge stronger relationships with communities to be a more aggressive force pushing for the demands that help working people on the job, at the bargaining table, and with public policy makers all around our country."
