Andrew Stern, president of the AFL-CIO's largest union, has called for John Sweeney's ouster, and has warned that his union, SEIU, will leave the federation if Sweeney is re-elected. The SEIU joins other large unions (Teamsters, UFCW, Unite-Here) in demanding a major overhaul of the AFL-CIO. Sweeney's opponents maintain that he has not done enough to increase union density and organizing since his presidency began in 1996. Their platform proposes that the AFL-CIO spends half its budget on unionization efforts (around $60 million).
See "A.F.L.-C.I.O. Is Urged to Oust Its Leader", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, May 16, 2005