I'll frown, and be perverse, and say thee nay,---

"Name dispute mars new union's launch" - or so says David Hencke on his Guardian website entry posted 3.45pm on Tuesday April 24, 2007.

Having had continuous union membership under the banner of DATA, AUEW-TASS, MSF & AMICUS, I must confess to not being too exercised by the name we might choose to sail under next.

As a "test of lay member democracy" the comrades could, and still can, choose a better field of combat.

Two strategic priorities loom large.

The Joint Executive Council, assisted by a Rules Commission, are charged with producing a Rule book for the new union by May 1st 2008.

The Merger Exploration Committee to be set up with the USW, will "meet regularly over the next twelve months and suggest a framework for a formal merger between Amicus-T&G and the USW to create a truly International Union for the 21st Century."
.

Elsewhere I have said

"Unless the members who worked so hard for change avoid complacency or fracture we could see either right wing electoral success, or a vacuum filled by bureaucracy.

It may well be that, most of the time -- "The majority of our members are not interested in process, in committees and in standing orders" --- but instead look to outcomes. The job of activists who habitually look inside the black box is to anticipate output problems and alter either the input or the system."

If we are serious, we need to pass on a constitution which makes lay member democracy not just possible but unassailable.

Ice Pick or Blunt Instrument

First surfacing on 21 April 2007 Amicusttt.com is “dedicated to a democratic trot free union”. It is not clear if the anonymous author is using the editorial “we” or if some nascent organisation will emerge.

As of now, the site message board has six entries, and the intemperance of the early exchanges mirrors the site content which is not for the faint hearted but more likely to reinforce existing paranoias than deal with the problems it seeks to address.

In my judgement ad hominem attacks are great fun but are likely to backfire, especially if directed at those of a litigious disposition. But you can click the heading to see for yourself.



As for the disputed anonymity, five minutes tops on your computer would lead you here

UNITE – TRANSATLANTIC LINK WIDELY REPORTED.

The coverage was widespread, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of articles were little more than topped and tailed versions of the press release.
Maybe the output from the Merger Exploration Committee will cause more fluttering in the dovecotes of capital.

When the proposed three way merger of Amicus, the TGWU and the GMB was first proposed the UK press response veered between –“This is a threat to civilisation as we know it” and “dinosaurs huddling together for warmth can’t avoid extinction”: and thereafter was preoccupied with the possible effects on the Labour Party.

Below are tasters of, and links to, some of the more significant reports

scrippsnews

The move might be one of many in labor history in which unions have re-aligned themselves to follow changing business practices, said Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
"The structure of labor unions has to, in some ways, follow the structure of capital," he said, noting that in the 1930s labor reorganized from craft unions to industrial unions following changes in the automobile and manufacturing industries during the industrial revolution.

SooToday

Ken Neumann, USW national director for Canada, said the document signed at the National Policy Conference was a historic moment for the 600 delegates representing USW members across Canada.
“Our union has never been satisfied with limiting our reach exclusively to Canada. And we are more than an international union. We are a global network of workers and their organizations.”

dailypress

The unions signed a formal agreement Wednesday to begin studying the legal frameworks of constitutions, rules and structures of the current unions to come up with a formal merger plan that would eventually be voted on by members of each union on either side of the ocean.
Though the combination is touted as a merger of equals, it's still unclear where the union would be based or how it would be structured in terms of leadership, or how it would coordinate such things as dues, negotiating contracts and running strikes.

timesonline

Although sympathetic strike action across nations would be illegal, a merged international union would nevertheless be able to exert a global influence.

Guardian

The talks, announced simultaneously in Ottawa and London, aim to conclude negotiations within a year - and include a commitment to approach unions in Germany and Australia to see if they will join.

TheRegister

A global movement might be more attainable in the USW's home industries: steel, mining, forestry and related. It already has strategic alliances in Australia, Brazil, and Mexico.

DailyKos

This entry elicited 21 comments- [on a huge site -Nearly 500,000 people visit the DailyKos every day.]

UNITE - Unashamed territorial ambitions, but some way to go

Exploring
a Global Union for
the 21st Century

It has been two years since Amicus-T&G and the United Steelworkers (USW) signed a Strategic A l l i a n c e as the first formal and public commitment by our two unions to build a strong relationship and to find ways to more effectively represent and protect workers under the reality of the new global economy.
During those years, as over the past 20, the power of global capital has continued to accrue at the expense of workers in nations throughout the world.
Amicus-T&G and the USW firmly believe that over the coming years only through greater international solidarity and cooperation can we, as a trade union movement, effectively represent the interests of our members against the threats posed by global capital.

Global capital requires a global response and Amicus-T&G and the USW are committed to investigating ways in which cooperation and collaboration between our two organizations can be deepened and strengthened. Combining the political and industrial strength of our two unions will achieve greater
success for our members than standing apart.

Both Amicus-T&G and the USW are committed to increasing our political power to oppose the destructive neo-liberal economic and trade policies wreaking havoc today worldwide. We are also committed to conducting joint solidarity projects and developing joint global strategic and organizing campaigns.

The signing of the Strategic Alliance was a positive first step. But bolder measures are required if unions are not to be marginalized and, even worse, made irrelevant in the coming years.
The signing of this document today marks the next step on the road to the evolution and creation of a truly international trade union through a merger of Amicus-T&G and the USW in the near future. We envision building a true global union by expanding our commitments to include other unions across the globe.

Amicus-T&G and the USW hereby commit to:

© The creation of a formal Merger Exploration Committee.
This committee will consist of five principal individuals from each union and supported by technical staff as needed. Their charge will be to study
the legal framework, constitutions, rules and regulations, and the structures of both unions. This committee will meet regularly over the next twelve months and suggest a framework for a formal merger between Amicus-T&G and the USW to create a truly International Union for the 21st Century.
© A regular exchange between senior officers, to take place every quarter, to monitor and develop areas of joint work and to find ways of integrating common programs for the near term and to enhance the understanding and culture of both of our great unions.

© Provide material and financial resources for joint international solidarity projects with the establishment of a substantial jointly administered fund split evenly between Amicus-T&G and the USW.
Projects might include, but are not limited to, support of Columbia’s trade union movement in the face of continued attacks on labor and human rights; capacity building projects with partner unions in Africa; solidarity work with the ship breakers of India and joint exploration of transnational corporations in China.

© The development of common approaches to collective bargaining in sectors and multinational companies where our joint membership work using the strength of our two unions against the interests of global capital to ensure enhanced bargaining outcomes.

© To engage in regular participation in each unions educational and political conferences and activities. Each union will designate appropriate members or officers to attend such activities so that further integration may develop.

Today’s signing places Amicus-T&G and the USW well down the road to creating the first truly global union.
_____________________________ _____________________________
LEO W. GERARD DEREK SIMPSON
International President General Secretary
United Steelworkers (USW) Amicus
_____________________________ _____________________________
KEN NEUMANN TONYWOODLEY
National Director of Canada General Secretary
United Steelworkers (USW) Transport and General
Workers’Union (T&G)

Dated: April 18, 2007

What's in a name?

Barring objections the merger of Amicus and the TGWU will be finalised in the next few days.

The Times tells us it will be called UNITE.

I thought it might be useful to pension off the old blogs and embrace the future.