Las Vegas, NV
United Way organizations and the thousands of social service agencies that they help support gain a substantial portion of their income through the efforts of international and local unions and the individual generosity of millions of union members throughout the nation.
Yet, many of the service agencies that are the beneficiaries of the United Way funding pay wages and benefits substantially lower than the compensation paid to other workers doing comparable work, including those in the public sector. The inadequate compensation of these employees denies them the ability to achieve a decent standard of living while threatening the well-being of their unionized counterparts whose jobs are jeopardized by the low-wage competition. Many of these workers see unionization as their best hope of raising their living standards and seek to organize for collective bargaining. However, many social service agencies have opposed these organizing efforts by spending funds intended to enhance the well-being of service recipients to instead thwart the rights of their employees to gain union representation.
The AFL-CIO is committed to enhancing the economic well-being of all workers, including those who provide social services. The AFL-CIO finds it unacceptable for any organization to solicit funds from union members which could later be used by employers to thwart the efforts of workers who seek union representation.
The AFL-CIO calls upon all United Way entities to require that any agency seeking United Way funds adopt a policy of neutrality toward any attempt by its employees to organize. To do this:
1. The AFL-CIO requests that its long-time partner in community services, the United Way of America, re-emphasize the request it made to all local United Ways and their recipient agencies in their May 20, 1982, Board of Governors resolution when they
". . . urged local United Ways to have such a labor policy and to recommend to their participating agencies the adoption of a similar labor policy."
2. The AFL-CIO urges its state and local labor councils and other subordinate bodies to refrain from giving funds or assistance to any United Way agency which fails to adopt such a policy;
3. The AFL-CIO encourages all of its affiliates to adopt a similar policy vis-a-vis the United Way and other charitable organizations;
4. The AFL-CIO urges United Way to employ union performers and technicians in the production of all promotional advertising.
5. The AFL-CIO will notify, at the request of an affiliate, all other affiliated unions of any anti-union activity on the part of any recipient of United Way funds or by any charitable organization which is the beneficiary of the funds of union members.
Finally, the AFL-CIO will seek to assure that similar policies of organizing neutrality are adopted by any other charitable or non-profit organization that it determines are receiving significant contributions and support from the labor movement.