Though the leaders of the four unions most vocally challenging the structure of the AFL-CIO come from varied backgrounds, they agree on a fundamental point: that the AFL-CIO has utterly failed to reverse labor's slide even as workers struggle to cope with stagnant wages and shrinking benefits. They are considering walking out of the federation at next week's convention. John J. Sweeney, the AFL-CIO's president, accuses the dissidents of betraying a core labor concept, solidarity, and he warns that their exodus would sabotage chances of a comeback for organized labor.
See "Among Dissident Union Leaders, the Backgrounds May Vary but the Vision Is the Same", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, July 21, 2005