Gee... the democrats feelin' the heat?

For decades now, democrats have been ripping off unions, who, in turn, have been ripping off their members.

The result? A steady bleeding... almost of the arterial variety. And that is reflected in a "precipitous" and climbing loss in membership.

Union representation fell from 20 percent of U.S. workers in 1983 to only 12.5 percent last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So... many unions have, or at least are considering, leaving the AFL-CIO.

And the democrats are FEELIN it.

Actually, this news is at LEAST as good as these idjits bringing Dr. Dean/Mr. Hyde on board to run their peculiar version of The Titanic.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

Labor split could hurt Democrats' campaigns

By Seattle Times news services

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney describes the SEIU-Teamsters withdrawal as a "tragedy for working people, because ... a divided movement hurts the hopes of working families for a better life."

State effect uncertain from split of AFL-CIO

WASHINGTON — They are the people who knock on doors in the dead of winter. They collect signatures and pass out literature. And when a candidate needs to assemble a crowd, they are there to fill up an auditorium with energy and enthusiasm.

The foot soldiers of many political campaigns are union workers, and for decades they have been the province of the Democratic Party and the envy of Republicans.

Now, with two of the nation's largest and most powerful unions — the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union — bolting from the AFL-CIO yesterday and other unions considering such a move, political strategists, politicians and observers say that Democratic candidates may suffer the consequences.

"Our goal is not to divide the labor movement, but to rebuild it," said Andy Stern, president of the 1.8 million-member SEIU.

The leaders of the breakaway faction said they are leaving the AFL-CIO because of what they described as the labor federation's ineffectiveness in stopping the long-term decline in union membership and making unions more relevant to the challenges of the modern workplace.

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