Alliance for Labor Action
Encyclopedia
The Alliance for Labor Action (ALA) was an American and Canadian national trade union center
which existed from July 1968 until January 1972. Its two main members were the United Auto Workers
(UAW) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
, although it had some smaller affiliates.
in 1957 for corruption. The UAW had disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO on July 1, 1968, after UAW President Walter Reuther
and AFL-CIO
President George Meany could not come to agreement on a wide range of policy issues or reforms to AFL-CIO governance. Although Teamsters president Frank Fitzsimmons
was originally seen as a proxy for jailed Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa
, Fitzsimmons had begun taking a more leftist
stand on a number of public policy issues. Reuther was particularly impressed that Fitzsimmons had been the only other national labor leader present at the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.
On July 24, 1968, just days after the UAW disaffiliation, Fitzsimmons and Reuther formed the Alliance for Labor Action to organize unorganized workers and pursue leftist political and social projects. While Reuther himself remained active in the ALA, Fitzsimmons assigned Teamsters leader Harold J. Gibbons
as his union's liaison.
Fitzsimmons and Reuther offered the AFL-CIO a no-raid pact as a first step toward building a working relationship between the competing trade union centers, but the offered was rejected. AFL-CIO President George Meany
denounced the ALA as a dual union
, although Reuther argued it was not. The ALA later passed a resolution permitting ALA members to raid AFL-CIO unions or organize in jurisdictions claimed by AFL-CIO unions if the AFL-CIO-affiliated union was not doing enough to organize workers into union. Although Reuther had a lengthy list of unions he hoped would join the ALA, few did so. In September 1968, the 110,000-member International Chemical Workers Union (now part of the United Food and Commercial Workers
) affiliated with the ALA, and was expelled from the AFL-CIO a year later. Ten of the largest local unions (representing 40,000 members) belonging to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
disaffiliated from that international union, formed a new union (the National Council of Distributive Workers of America), and joined the ALA. Although the United Rubber Workers and the Glass Workers both expressed official interest in joining the ALA, neither did so. The ALA's founding split the American Federation of Teachers
, which debated joining but never formally considered such an act.
4.5 million, the same amount they would have paid to the AFL-CIO in per capita dues. A major organizing drive targeting African American
workers was launched in Atlanta, Georgia
, in the fall of 1969 involving 50 staff organizers
(half of them black), 200 volunteer member-organizers, a $4 million budget, and an extensive public relations campaign. But the campaign failed: After 28 months, only 4,590 workers had been organized, and 94 of 196 elections won.
The ALA's agenda also included action on a number of progressive issues. It engaged in a widespread community unionism
effort. But its attempt to organize blue-collar worker
s, the poor, and local citizens into community unions was hampered by a lack of experience in community organizing. The ALA program turned into a grant-making operation working through the UAW's existing structure, awarding more than $2.5 million in funds in two and a half years. Although it had little organizational involvement in the anti-Vietnam War
peace movement, the ALA called for an immediate end to the war, endorsed anti-war rallies, and its leaders marched in anti-war marches. The trade union center also supported universal health care
, and gave an important early boost to modern efforts to pass federal legislation on the issue.
Reuther's death in a plane crash on May 9, 1970, near Black Lake, Michigan
, dealt a serious blow to the Alliance. The group halted operations in July 1971 after the Auto Workers (almost bankrupt from a lengthy strike at General Motors
) was unable to continue to fund its operations, and the ALA formally disanded in January 1972. The Ford Foundation
assumed control over the community grant programs upon the ALA's disestablishment.
The UAW re-affiliated with the AFL-CIO on July 1, 1981. The Teamsters re-affiliated with the AFL-CIO on October 24, 1987.
argues that "the Alliance for Labor Action, alas, never really did anything." Others conclude that it never could have evolved into a major force in the American labor movement: The UAW was no longer a potent political force by 1968, the UAW was on the verge losing half a million members and agreeing to major contract concessions in the auto industry, and neither the UAW nor Teamsters had much organizing capacity (neither had engaged in any significant efforts to organize new members for decades).
Other commentators disagree. The ALA, some historians say, gave the anti-war movement a voice for the first time within the labor movement. Although the ALA's own community organizing efforts failed, they encouraged and promoted a long-lasting (if small) community organizing effort in some major cities which survived into the 21st century. Commentators at the time of Reuther's death and a quarter-century later have also concluded that it was Reuther's untimely demise which led to the ALA's failure, rather than anything inherent in its members, structure, or goals.
National trade union center
A national trade union center is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a single country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. When there is more than one national center, it is often because of ideological differences—in some...
which existed from July 1968 until January 1972. Its two main members were the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
(UAW) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
, although it had some smaller affiliates.
Formation and growth
The Teamsters had been expelled from the AFL-CIOAFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
in 1957 for corruption. The UAW had disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO on July 1, 1968, after UAW President Walter Reuther
Walter Reuther
Walter Philip Reuther was an American labor union leader, who made the United Automobile Workers a major force not only in the auto industry but also in the Democratic Party in the mid 20th century...
and AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
President George Meany could not come to agreement on a wide range of policy issues or reforms to AFL-CIO governance. Although Teamsters president Frank Fitzsimmons
Frank Fitzsimmons
Frank Edward Fitzsimmons , was an American labor leader. He was acting president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1967 to 1971, and president from 1971 to 1981.-Early life:...
was originally seen as a proxy for jailed Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
, Fitzsimmons had begun taking a more leftist
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
stand on a number of public policy issues. Reuther was particularly impressed that Fitzsimmons had been the only other national labor leader present at the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
On July 24, 1968, just days after the UAW disaffiliation, Fitzsimmons and Reuther formed the Alliance for Labor Action to organize unorganized workers and pursue leftist political and social projects. While Reuther himself remained active in the ALA, Fitzsimmons assigned Teamsters leader Harold J. Gibbons
Harold J. Gibbons
Harold Joseph Patrick Gibbons was an American trade unionist and labor leader.Born the youngest of 23 children in Archibald Patch, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, he nonetheless matriculated at the University of Chicago. He became a St. Louis union leader of Warehousemen, when St...
as his union's liaison.
Fitzsimmons and Reuther offered the AFL-CIO a no-raid pact as a first step toward building a working relationship between the competing trade union centers, but the offered was rejected. AFL-CIO President George Meany
George Meany
William George Meany led labor union federations in the United States. As an officer of the American Federation of Labor, he represented the AFL on the National War Labor Board during World War II....
denounced the ALA as a dual union
Dual unionism
Dual unionism is the development of a union or political organization parallel to and within an existing labor union. In some cases, the term may refer to the situation where two unions claim the right to organize the same workers....
, although Reuther argued it was not. The ALA later passed a resolution permitting ALA members to raid AFL-CIO unions or organize in jurisdictions claimed by AFL-CIO unions if the AFL-CIO-affiliated union was not doing enough to organize workers into union. Although Reuther had a lengthy list of unions he hoped would join the ALA, few did so. In September 1968, the 110,000-member International Chemical Workers Union (now part of the United Food and Commercial Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
) affiliated with the ALA, and was expelled from the AFL-CIO a year later. Ten of the largest local unions (representing 40,000 members) belonging to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is a labor union in the United States and Canada that is a semi-autonomous division of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Change to Win Federation...
disaffiliated from that international union, formed a new union (the National Council of Distributive Workers of America), and joined the ALA. Although the United Rubber Workers and the Glass Workers both expressed official interest in joining the ALA, neither did so. The ALA's founding split the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
, which debated joining but never formally considered such an act.
Program and dissolution
The Alliance's initial program was ambitious. The two member unions provided the ALA with an annual budget of $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
4.5 million, the same amount they would have paid to the AFL-CIO in per capita dues. A major organizing drive targeting African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
workers was launched in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, in the fall of 1969 involving 50 staff organizers
Union organizer
A union organizer is a specific type of trade union member or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers....
(half of them black), 200 volunteer member-organizers, a $4 million budget, and an extensive public relations campaign. But the campaign failed: After 28 months, only 4,590 workers had been organized, and 94 of 196 elections won.
The ALA's agenda also included action on a number of progressive issues. It engaged in a widespread community unionism
Community Unionism
Community unionism describes the spectrum of ways in which trade unions work collaboratively with community organisations over issues of common importance to both...
effort. But its attempt to organize blue-collar worker
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
s, the poor, and local citizens into community unions was hampered by a lack of experience in community organizing. The ALA program turned into a grant-making operation working through the UAW's existing structure, awarding more than $2.5 million in funds in two and a half years. Although it had little organizational involvement in the anti-Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
peace movement, the ALA called for an immediate end to the war, endorsed anti-war rallies, and its leaders marched in anti-war marches. The trade union center also supported universal health care
Universal health care
Universal health care is a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.-History:...
, and gave an important early boost to modern efforts to pass federal legislation on the issue.
Reuther's death in a plane crash on May 9, 1970, near Black Lake, Michigan
Black Lake (Michigan)
Black Lake is located in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties in Northern Michigan. With a surface area of 10,130 acres , it is the seventh largest inland lake in Michigan. The largest body of water in the Black River watershed, it drains through the Lower Black and Cheboygan Rivers into Lake Huron...
, dealt a serious blow to the Alliance. The group halted operations in July 1971 after the Auto Workers (almost bankrupt from a lengthy strike at General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
) was unable to continue to fund its operations, and the ALA formally disanded in January 1972. The Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
assumed control over the community grant programs upon the ALA's disestablishment.
The UAW re-affiliated with the AFL-CIO on July 1, 1981. The Teamsters re-affiliated with the AFL-CIO on October 24, 1987.
Historical assessment
Some commentators conclude that the ALA is unimportant, historically. For example, Harold MeyersonHarold Meyerson
Harold Meyerson is an American journalist and opinion columnist. In 2009 The Atlantic Monthly named him one of "the most influential commentators in the nation" as part of their list "The Atlantic 50."...
argues that "the Alliance for Labor Action, alas, never really did anything." Others conclude that it never could have evolved into a major force in the American labor movement: The UAW was no longer a potent political force by 1968, the UAW was on the verge losing half a million members and agreeing to major contract concessions in the auto industry, and neither the UAW nor Teamsters had much organizing capacity (neither had engaged in any significant efforts to organize new members for decades).
Other commentators disagree. The ALA, some historians say, gave the anti-war movement a voice for the first time within the labor movement. Although the ALA's own community organizing efforts failed, they encouraged and promoted a long-lasting (if small) community organizing effort in some major cities which survived into the 21st century. Commentators at the time of Reuther's death and a quarter-century later have also concluded that it was Reuther's untimely demise which led to the ALA's failure, rather than anything inherent in its members, structure, or goals.