A proposal to cut individual unions' contributions to the AFL-CIO by 50 percent was voted down 15-7 at the AFL-CIO's winter meeting in Las Vegas. The proposal was supported by five unions, including the Teamsters, service employees, food and commercial workers, the laborers, and Unite Here, with the United Auto Workers being a late supporter. AFL-CIO president, John Sweeney, had proposed a 17 percent cut to unions' contributions, but supporters of the 50 percent cut feel that the larger amount is needed to effectively invest in organizing.
See "Labor Leaders Reject Rival Plan to Shift More Money to Organizing", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, March 2, 2005