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American Morning

Interview With AFL-CIO President John Sweeney

Aired September 01, 2003 - 08:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It's Labor Day, and organized labor is flexing its political muscle. The AFL-CIO is launching a national campaign that aims to make it easier for workers to organize. Union membership in the American workforce has fallen since the 1950s from 35 percent back then to just 13 percent now.
With us now from Washington to talk about the AFL-CIO's campaign and the Bush administration's economic policies is the president of the union, John Sweeney.

Good to see you Mr. Sweeney. And welcome on this Labor Day.

JOHN SWEENEY, AFL-CIO: Thank you. Happy Labor Day.

HARRIS: Now we talked earlier this morning with the Labor Secretary, Elaine Chao, and gave her a chance to defend herself from comments that you've made about her being the most anti-labor Labor Secretary. She cited a lot of things that the Bush administration is doing to improve the job situation, and finding jobs and creating jobs for those nine million people who are unemployed right now. She said this administration has done more to go back and get pension money restored to people out there. What do you have to say about things like that?

SWEENEY: Well, the record doesn't speak for the rhetoric. And we're seeing more and more initiatives against workers, and setting workers back. The federal workers' pay raise is just an indication of the tone of this administration with regard to workers issues. I mean, to deny federal workers, who are the most productive workers in government, in the world, a modest 2 percent increase, which they have been planning on necessary for their own needs and their families' needs, is a disgrace.

We are seeing -- the biggest concern this Labor Day among workers is jobs. And the unemployment situation is not being addressed by the administration. They're performing with tax cuts for the wealthy, wiping out a surplus which could have addressed some of the needs that working families have all across the country.

HARRIS: I want to ask you what's in play right now with this number, the number that just decided a moment ago. About 35 percent of the labor force was involved in unions back in the '50s. Now that number's down to 13 percent. Business leaders say that it's because the unions made themselves irrelevant. What do you say to that? SWEENEY: No, it's not the numbers that have declined. It's a percentage of the workforce as the workforce has changed and as it has grown. Over the past two years, we've seen a loss of 2.5 million manufacturing jobs. Most of them middle income jobs with good benefits and union jobs.

The situation is just a very serious one in terms of workers right to organize. We organized a half a million workers last year and the year before. That's a substantial number of workers to organize, but it can't keep up with the decline in the job loss, and the plant closings, and everything else that's going on with regards to workers' jobs.

HARRIS: This administration's tax cuts are being touted as the major reason why we see the recession coming to an end and jobs now actually, or the economy actually turning around and slowly doing so. But it is turning around right now. Don't you agree that the Bush administration's plan for the tax cuts have actually been a good idea?

SWEENEY No, the tax cuts are not stimulating the economy. More of the tax benefit should have gone to low wage and middle income workers. They put their money back into the economy as fast as they get it, as consumers. This is about wiping out a surplus that could have provided improvements in our healthcare. There's 45 million Americans without healthcare today. That number keeps growing.

We're talking about prescription drugs, especially for the elderly. So that they could be able to put both food and handle their medical needs. And yet the federal government is slow in responding and is not putting any significant resources into it.

HARRIS: Before -- on the way out here, I want to -- got to ask you a question about the upcoming presidential campaign. We've seen quite a few unions lining up behind Dick Gephardt out of Missouri. Is the AFL-CIO going to endorse Mr. Gephardt?

SWEENEY: We're going through a process encouraging our unions to poll their members and to do surveys, and find out who their members will vote for and support. Gephardt's been an outstanding government representative. He has been highly focused on workers' issues and so many other issues that are important to workers.

It is just a matter that we have to go through a process and make sure that we're endorsing the person who can be elected, will be elected the next president of the United States.

HARRIS: John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO. We'll be waiting to see which way your group decides to go. We appreciate your time on this Labor Day.

SWEENEY: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 1, 2003 - 08:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It's Labor Day, and organized labor is flexing its political muscle. The AFL-CIO is launching a national campaign that aims to make it easier for workers to organize. Union membership in the American workforce has fallen since the 1950s from 35 percent back then to just 13 percent now.
With us now from Washington to talk about the AFL-CIO's campaign and the Bush administration's economic policies is the president of the union, John Sweeney.

Good to see you Mr. Sweeney. And welcome on this Labor Day.

JOHN SWEENEY, AFL-CIO: Thank you. Happy Labor Day.

HARRIS: Now we talked earlier this morning with the Labor Secretary, Elaine Chao, and gave her a chance to defend herself from comments that you've made about her being the most anti-labor Labor Secretary. She cited a lot of things that the Bush administration is doing to improve the job situation, and finding jobs and creating jobs for those nine million people who are unemployed right now. She said this administration has done more to go back and get pension money restored to people out there. What do you have to say about things like that?

SWEENEY: Well, the record doesn't speak for the rhetoric. And we're seeing more and more initiatives against workers, and setting workers back. The federal workers' pay raise is just an indication of the tone of this administration with regard to workers issues. I mean, to deny federal workers, who are the most productive workers in government, in the world, a modest 2 percent increase, which they have been planning on necessary for their own needs and their families' needs, is a disgrace.

We are seeing -- the biggest concern this Labor Day among workers is jobs. And the unemployment situation is not being addressed by the administration. They're performing with tax cuts for the wealthy, wiping out a surplus which could have addressed some of the needs that working families have all across the country.

HARRIS: I want to ask you what's in play right now with this number, the number that just decided a moment ago. About 35 percent of the labor force was involved in unions back in the '50s. Now that number's down to 13 percent. Business leaders say that it's because the unions made themselves irrelevant. What do you say to that? SWEENEY: No, it's not the numbers that have declined. It's a percentage of the workforce as the workforce has changed and as it has grown. Over the past two years, we've seen a loss of 2.5 million manufacturing jobs. Most of them middle income jobs with good benefits and union jobs.

The situation is just a very serious one in terms of workers right to organize. We organized a half a million workers last year and the year before. That's a substantial number of workers to organize, but it can't keep up with the decline in the job loss, and the plant closings, and everything else that's going on with regards to workers' jobs.

HARRIS: This administration's tax cuts are being touted as the major reason why we see the recession coming to an end and jobs now actually, or the economy actually turning around and slowly doing so. But it is turning around right now. Don't you agree that the Bush administration's plan for the tax cuts have actually been a good idea?

SWEENEY No, the tax cuts are not stimulating the economy. More of the tax benefit should have gone to low wage and middle income workers. They put their money back into the economy as fast as they get it, as consumers. This is about wiping out a surplus that could have provided improvements in our healthcare. There's 45 million Americans without healthcare today. That number keeps growing.

We're talking about prescription drugs, especially for the elderly. So that they could be able to put both food and handle their medical needs. And yet the federal government is slow in responding and is not putting any significant resources into it.

HARRIS: Before -- on the way out here, I want to -- got to ask you a question about the upcoming presidential campaign. We've seen quite a few unions lining up behind Dick Gephardt out of Missouri. Is the AFL-CIO going to endorse Mr. Gephardt?

SWEENEY: We're going through a process encouraging our unions to poll their members and to do surveys, and find out who their members will vote for and support. Gephardt's been an outstanding government representative. He has been highly focused on workers' issues and so many other issues that are important to workers.

It is just a matter that we have to go through a process and make sure that we're endorsing the person who can be elected, will be elected the next president of the United States.

HARRIS: John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO. We'll be waiting to see which way your group decides to go. We appreciate your time on this Labor Day.

SWEENEY: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com