IFPTE’s Junemann To Run For AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
SEATTLE (PAI)--Saying the AFL-CIO is in financial trouble, Professional and Technical Engineers President Gregory Junemann officially declared his candidacy for the federation’s Secretary-Treasurer’s post, its #2 job, on June 6.
Junemann, whose union has shown recent growth by organizing government workers -- outside its traditional engineering crafts -- told his union’s large local in Seattle that a number of union leaders encouraged him to run to succeed present Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka. Trumka is seeking the federation’s presidency, succeeding his own running mate of 14 years ago, John J. Sweeney, who is retiring.
New AFL-CIO leaders will be elected at the federation’s convention, Sept. 13-14 in Pittsburgh, Trumka’s home area. Trumka is a former Mine Workers president.
Though he did not criticize the present Sweeney-Trumka leadership, Junemann said the AFL-CIO, like other institutions, needs “a true debate on how to go forward,” including on how to tackle its financial ills. He noted one reason his union can organize successfully is because it is financially strong.
“This is a critical time for our nation, our economy and our labor movement -- a time of unprecedented transitions. It isn’t only General Motors that has to engage in ‘reinvention’,” Junemann told the IFPTE members in Seattle.
“My main objective as Secretary-Treasurer will be to bring financial stability and integrity to the AFL-CIO. Without a doubt, getting the AFL-CIO’s finances on a stable footing will be a challenge -- perhaps the federation's toughest.
“Yet, I believe that by streamlining the AFL-CIO's operations, by bringing the labor federation’s finances in line with its core missions and with the priorities of the affiliated unions, we can accomplish this. My goal is to be totally open and transparent with our affiliates in examining and structuring our financial operations,” he declared.
The AFL-CIO and individual unions -- both within the federation and in Change To Win -- sank record sums into politics last year. The federation asked member unions to send in voluntary contributions to cover the costs, but contributions fell short of expectations.
That political spending, combined with large sums for “consultants” over the year, plus mass hiring of temporary help -- again for the campaign -- produced a multi-million-dollar AFL-CIO budget deficit, with the prospect of even more red ink in the coming year.