AFL-CIO Convention Report

When terrorists attacked New York and Washington on September 11th, it was union members who rushed in as everyone else was struggling to get out, and who risked their lives—and lost their lives—to help. From those first moments and throughout the long and chaotic days that followed, countless stories have emerged of selfless courage and the tireless effort of those brave union members.

The theme of the 24th biennial AFL-CIO Convention held in Las Vegas, Nevada from December 3 to 6 was “America’s Workers… Heroes Every Day.”

President John J. Flynn, far left, with fellow BAC delegates to the recent AFL-CIO Convention in Las Vegas. Next to Flynn, from left, are Secretary-Treasurer Jim Boland, Executive Vice President Jerry O’Malley, and Region 8 Director John Franco. Across the table, from upper right, are Field Representative Chuck McCracken, President Ray Keen, and Field Representative Larry O’Leary, all of Local 3 NV.

At the opening session, a moving tribute to the more than 650 union members who lost their lives September 11th was enhanced by stories of the courageous and selfless efforts of fire fighters, police, construction workers, and others who raced to the scene to rescue those they could, and remained afterwards to assist with the recovery effort.

In New York City, where fire fighters rushed to rescue those trapped inside the World Trade Center, 343 fire fighters made the ultimate sacrifice. The International Association of Fire Fighters reported that members of 55 fire companies died. The death toll—343—is more than four times the number of fire fighters killed across the nation in 2000, and more than the number of fire fighters killed in New York City for the past 100 years.

International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Harold Schaitberger was one of many speakers who referred to the streams of construction workers who spontaneously showed up at the site to aid in the rescue. “Our jobs would be absolutely impossible without those heroes down on that job site putting their lives on the line, putting themselves in harm’s way, moving rubble so our people can attempt their search-and-rescue operation. It’s really what this labor movement is all about,” he said.

Impact on America’s Workers

Of course, considerable Convention business was also devoted to the aftermath of the attacks and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, which sent our faltering economy toward the current recession. At the convention site in Las Vegas alone, far from New York and Washington, 15,000 of the 50,000 members of the Culinary Workers’ local have been laid off and construction work has dropped significantly. As a result many of the speakers devoted attention to the economic stimulus legislation.

BAC joined the IAFF, the Building and Construction Trades Department, and three other unions in sponsoring a Resolution that focused on building design and construction requirements in response to September 11th. The Resolution was amended at President Flynn’s recommendation to insure that building codes and standards be arrived at “free from control or domination by any special interest group” and stated that “it is imperative that public and private organizations work together in developing building [and] fire codes so that design and construction requirements are economical yet appropriate for the safety of building occupants and rescue workers who would enter under extreme circumstances.”

The Resolution approved by the delegates established a policy “that the AFL-CIO work aggressively with all of its affiliates to help ensure that only codes and standards developed through an open process be adopted at the federal, state, and local levels of government.”

BAC sponsored this Resolution as a result of the September 11th events. The damage at the Pentagon was reduced significantly because of the reinforcement and compartmentalization of the masonry walls in that structure. The fire and damage had been confined to a limited area and had not spread to the entire building because of these factors. It was the view of the proponents that it would be wise to consider such experience in designing future building and fire codes.

BAC also came in for favorable attention for its organizing efforts in Las Vegas. Additionally, the Union was singled out by Maung Maung, winner of this year’s George Meany Human Rights Award, because of its support for those forced into slave labor on construction projects in Burma.