The Association for Union Democracy (AUD)
is a pro-labor, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the principles and practices of democratic trade unionism in the North American labor movement. It is the premise of AUD that internal democracy makes unions stronger and better able to fight for the rights and interests of working people. No other organization is dedicated solely to advancing the democratic rights of union members.

AUD is a non-partisan organization. We do not support or endorse candidates for union office or particular policies within unions. Rather, AUD supports actions which strengthen the democratic process, promoting membership participation, free speech and fair elections, so that union members can transform and lead their unions. AUD depends on contributions and has limited resources. We provide educational assistance and guidance as to legal rights and organizing to union members fighting for greater control of their unions...(more about AUD, a definition of union democracy, to contribute to AUD)

What's New 6/19/09
(What is XML?) AUD's RSS Feeds Page

• Collector's Item? If you didn't receive the latest AUD fund appeal by mail, you can read it (and see the cartoon) here. Fine art work and lucid gripping prose, make this limited edition one of a kind item worth keeping for posterity -- who knows how it will appreciate? In the meantime we will definitely appreciate your donation! So please do give what you can. We count on your support to keep AUD up and running. Give online (6/19/09)

• Thanks to AUD Supporters for the scanner donations! We now have given us enough funds to buy the scanner we need to begin our digital archive and the media drive we need to store all the priceless information. For those of you who haven't had the chance to donate to the Union Democracy Archive, there's still the time -- and the need! Whether you can afford 5, 10, or even 100 dollars -- your donations go a long way in helping to preserve our history of the fight for union democracy. Give here (6/4/09)

• New: AUD Blogroll now on this site. Thanks to Grazr, the blogroll from our AUDFeeds page is now on this website. What does this mean? Frequently updated information from over fifty rank-and-file sites. Please check it out and let us know if you like it. Blogroll (6/2/09)

• Solidarities forever, by Dave Roediger. "Three years ago Sal Salerno, Archie Green, Franklin Rosemont, and I scrambled to send The Big Red Songbook, a giant compilation of Industrial Workers of the World songs (Charles H. Kerr Company) to press. In putting final touches on my small introductory contribution to the book, I recalled the title of the 2000 AUD Thirtieth Anniversary conference, "When the Workers' Inspiration Through the Union's Blood Shall Run." The title played, of course, on a line from Ralph Chaplin's classic 1915 labor anthem "Solidarity Forever." That line ran, "When the union's inspiration through the workers blood shall run"... Read more (6/2/09)

• Can local union elections be run more democratically? by Kevin Condy. An active CWA member and AUD supporter, Kevin Condy recently wrote a report for his senior project at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, "Local Union Elections-Can They Be Run More Democratically?" (Fall, 2008). Condy surveyed fellow union members' knowledge of their democratic rights, focusing on two specific groups of workers - "outside technicians," -- union members that respond to problems onsite, and "inside technicians" or union members who do most of their work from a company's office. Condy's discoveries are interesting, but troubling. Here are a few excerpts from his paper... Read more (6/2/09)

• The Joseph Murphy Institute at the City University of New York asked us to help spread the word about their new Master of Arts degree in Labor Studies. For more information call Kitty Krupat at (212) 827-0200.

• In memoriam: Jonathan Palewicz. Jon died in March of leukemia. As an enthusiastic supporter of AUD and a member of its Advisory Board, he was one of the first members of the $1000 Clarion Club, joining those who agreed to donate at least $1000 a year. He was an active member of Local 2 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union, and proud of the local's militant record. It was always good to get a phone call from Jon, because he always communicated cheer and confidence. He organized a small reform caucus, HERETIC. When the union (HERE), under the old regime, was supervised by a court-appointed monitor, he prodded the monitor to keep the membership informed. He was pleased when John Wilhelm took over as HERE president and dubbed him ---really with affection--- as Kaiser Wilhelm.

• At the SEIU: Harassing dissidents' lawyers, China style (Benson's Blog). "On his trips to China, Andy Stern may have learned how to hone his union managerial skills. The authoritarian rulers of China go beyond simply punishing critics; they go after the victims' lawyers to teach other lawyers the painful consequences of helping dissidents. Stern can pay well to hire an army of his own lawyers to harass lawyers who represent his opponents." Read more. (5/11/09)

• Nurses now for sale, barter, and trade. "By combining into a new 150,000-member national union affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the California Nurses Association, the United American Nurses, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association seemed to have taken a giant step toward creating the kind of united force so many nurse unionists are hoping for. Meanwhile, the move has triggered a swift and dizzying realignment among the many unions that aspire to represent registered nurses. Most notable and unexpected is the sudden love affair between top officials of the Service Employees and the California Nurses Association. From bitter competition over who shall represent nurses, they have shifted to an amicable agreement over dividing up the territory." Read more. (5/11/09)

• In the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters: How to eviscerate the LMRDA, but quietly. "The federal law, LMRDA, has all those fine provisions designed to strengthen union democracy. But over the years union officials, guided by their attorneys, have learned how to immunize themselves against its effects and cut the heart out of some sections of the law. The latest egregious example is in the SEIU where Andy Stern used the law's trusteeship provisions to take over a 150,000-member local... In that case, trustees invaded explosively, massively, with all financial guns blazing, all in defiance of public protests. But, more representative than these events, are trusteeships imposed without public fanfare, quietly, unobtrusively, and routinely. For that we point to one small example, Pipefitters Local 211 in Oklahoma." Read more. (5/11/09)

• In the Transit and Transport unions. "ATU Local 241 in Chicago -- Never a dull moment in this 6,700-member local of city bus drivers...; ATU Local 1181 in New York City - Members for Change win two of three top spots...; TWU 225 in New Jersey -- members barred from seeking AUD's advice...; TWU Local 100 in New York City -- the big union of New York City subway and bus workers is about to hold elections wrapped in confusion,... challenger John Samuelson gets boost from former New Directions leader Steve Downs. Read more. (5/11/09)

• Interview: Jane LaTour on her Sisters in the Brotherhoods. "...sadly, it seems that most unions have a hard time delivering support for women in nontraditional, blue-collar jobs. ... But the point of all the stories is to show that the women themselves became a force for democracy within their unions. Every woman featured in the book was an organizer-trying to change conditions for themselves and their co-workers/fellow union members." Read more (4/10/09)

• New democracy battles in Musicians Union. By Robert Levine. "The most transformative event in the history of the American Federation of Musicians was a revolt in the 1950s by musicians against an autocratic AFM administration... It is ironic, then, that the achievements of that rank-and-file revolt are at risk because of a conflict between a new generation of recording musicians and what they believe to be another autocratic AFM administration..." Read more (4/10/09)

• Can staff unionism advance the cause of union democracy? Guillermo Perez is a member of the AUD Board of Directors and is currently the chief steward for the United Union Employees of New York (UUE-NY), a staff union that represents 120 union staffers employed by AFSCME Local 1000 based in Albany, New York. Guillermo conducted this interview with AUD founder and Secretary-Treasurer Herman Benson as part of an AUD-sponsored initiative to encourage union staffers to support the work of AUD. Read more (3/22/09)

• Thanks to George L Bickel for his contribution to AUD in memory of John Harold, an AUD director and attorney who helped so many union reformers. Help the work of union democracy activists live on by supporting the work of the Association for Union Democracy. Contribute here.

• Office of Labor-Management Standards Makes Contracts Available Online. "The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) announces the availability of the Department of Labor Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) File in the Online Public Disclosure Room. Collective bargaining agreements...are now available to be viewed and printed." With two exceptions: contracts covering fewer than 1,000 workers, and contracts covering railroad and airline workers. See the Online Public Disclosure Room. (11/12/07)

• "Request Help" page. For unionists seeking information or advice with a union democracy problem. With a new "Request Help" form that will help AUD better assist you. An important resource for union members, please bookmark and link directly to this page. See the page here. We have also reworked the Contact AUD page.

• Volunteer for AUD. Work with AUD staff on online projects: translation into Spanish, indexing and database entry, graphic/web design, web surfing and other skills needed. See our volunteer page.

• Spread Union Democracy: get a bundle of 20 copies of Union Democracy Review for $20.00 to hand out to coworkers. Order here.

• Looking for information for union women? See the page for women in non-traditional jobs, the links to women's organizations, or email us at info@uniondemocracy.org.

• Got a problem with a grievance? Read our article on your rights in the grievance procedure and how to use them. See "Your Job, Your RIghts".

• AUD in Spanish? French? Japanese? Check out Google Language Tools http://www.google.com/language_tools or Babelfish at http://world.altavista.com/
  

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Disclaimer: the information presented on this website is general and intended for educational purposes. It is not a substitute for practical legal advice on any specific situation.

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