As leaders of the AFL-CIO prepare to meet next week, they will once again be on the defensive, a situation made worse by the split the labor federation suffered last year. Unions face an uphill battle in recruiting more workers because many companies fight so hard to remain nonunion. And as a result of the split, the AFL-CIO has cut its budget by 25 percent and shut down its health and safety department.
See "Labor Leaders to Convene, Faced With Uphill Battles", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, February 26, 2006