Directly Affiliated Local Union - DLAs

DLAs

On March 1, 2006, the AFL-CIO executive council adopted a program, known as the Unity Partnership, to allow independent unions that do not qualify for a national charter to directly affiliate as a 'direct local affiliate' (DLA) similar to a DALU.

In May 2001, the 100,000 members of the United American Nurses (UAN)—the labor arm of the American Nurses Association—sought affiliation with the AFL-CIO. The 200,000-member California School Employees Association (CSEA), an independent union of paraprofessional school workers, also sought to join the AFL-CIO. Both unions were barely large enough to be self-sufficient in terms of resources, bargaining support and other core union activities, however.

Faced with declining AFL-CIO membership and criticism of his tenure as president, John Sweeney strong-armed the AFL-CIO executive council into voting to approve both affiliations. Sweeney also won approval to seat both union presidents on the AFL-CIO executive council. This angered some larger unions—many of whom had only one seat on the council but who were 10 times larger. Still other unions argued that UAN and CSEA should have entered the AFL-CIO through affiliation with an existing union rather than as independent organizations.

To address these criticisms, the AFL-CIO executive council adopted new criteria to be used in considering the granting of charters to independent organizations. The new rules set size, income and other criteria, and encouraged unions seeking affiliation to seek mergers with like-minded AFL-CIO unions rather than a direct charter.

But with the loss of several million members due to the disaffiliation of the CTW unions, the AFL-CIO sought to change the 2001 affiliation criteria.

Under the new Unity Partnership arrangement, the AFL-CIO will not be the parent of the DLA. DLAs will be covered by the federation's no-raid protections, will be able to participate in AFL-CIO state and local labor bodies, and will be entitled to the same benefits and services that national unions receive from the federation.

DLAs, however, will have to pay a per capita tax to the AFL-CIO, and the AFL-CIO will then distribute this money to the appropriate state, area and local central labor bodies. Unity Partnership dues are slightly higher than the combined national, state, area and local dues fully affiliated AFL-CIO unions pay, on average.

When a union applies for DLA status, the AFL-CIO will clear the petition with existing affiliated unions with employees in the same jurisdiction(s) to see if there are any objections. If there are none, DLA status will be granted for up to three years, after which time the certificate may be made permanent, expire or be extended.

As of April 3, 2006, the 11,000-member Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) was seeking DLA status.