On February 21, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) announced that they had signed a letter of intent to pursue a potential affiliation. The joint statement released by IAM and the NUHW cites the fact that both organizations' place a "high value on member democracy," protecting contract standards and organizing unorganized workers as reasons for forming a formal relationship.
The NUHW formed three years ago as an independent, break-away union from the SEIU. In late January 2009 the SEIU, then under the leadership of President Andy Stern, placed the 150,000-member local United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW-W) under trusteeship, ousting the elected officers and seizing control of the treasury. The take-over came in response to, among other things, the conflict between UHW-W's long-standing organizing model with the SEIU's planned reconfiguration of the local along a more geographically sprawling and top-down model, which Stern had been pursuing nation-wide. (For more on the SEIU UHW-W/NUHW conflict, see UDR issues #181, #187, #193)
Over the previous 10 to 15 years, the UHW-W had followed a strategy of actively organizing unorganized workers, and had shifted the local away from a structure of top-down service provided to members by union staff, to a structure which relied more heavily on the role of elected worksite stewards.
IAM was formed in 1888, by 19 machinists from Atlanta. Today the organization boasts a membership of around 720,000 members and is a member of the AFL-CIO. It is also one of the few unions which provides for the election of its international officers by direct membership vote.
Presently, the NUHW is engaged in an ongoing effort to represent workers at Kaiser Permanente run hospitals and other managed healthcare facilities, currently represented by SEIU UHW-W. While the NUHW was defeated there in 2010, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has thrown out the results of the election, as Judge Lana Parke found that the SEIU had "interfered with unit employee's free and uncoerced choice in the election."
With a new election at Kaiser due to take place this year, and the 9,000 member NUHW looking to represent these 43,000 workers at Kaiser, the resources which the 720,000 member IAM can lend to NUHW's campaign is an obvious short-term incentive for the partnership.
However, with the high value that both unions place on union democracy cited as a reason for their potential affiliation, the practice of union democracy shouldn't be overshadowed by how much it is said to be prized.
While IAM's constitution does indeed allow for the direct election of its international officers by the membership, as is mentioned in the IAM/NUHW joint statement, in practice any new candidate who might want to run must receive the nomination of not just there own, but at least 25 locals to appear on the ballot. In 2009, IAM's election committee declared all incumbent candidates automatically reelected without the members casting ballots at all, as all the incumbents were unchallenged.
More importantly perhaps, are the events that transpired between 2007 and 2008 concerning IAM local S6 in Bath, Maine.
Mike Keenan was first elected president of Local S6 in 2001, and reelected every three years through 2008. Under Keenan's leadership, Local S6 refused to contribute to the international's Machinists Non Partisan League Educational Fund, which covers the administrative costs of the union's political action committee. In accordance with Local S6 bylaws, the expense was each time put to a membership vote. Each time, the members choose not to authorize the use of their dues monies for this purpose, and Keenan diligently respected his members vote and did not contribute to the fund.
In 2007, IAM supported the opposing slate against Keenan's reelection. When Keenan won, the international ruled the election invalid, and conducted a new election in February 12, 2008. Keenan and his slate won this new election by an even wider margin. On March 17, 2008, IAM placed Local S6 under trusteeship, removing Keenan and his slate from office. (See UDR #173 & #176.)
