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Union aligned with Democrats braces for battle over its future
A leadership battle with major implications for the 2012 election is officially under way at the nation’s largest public sector union.
Danny Donohue, president of the New York State Civil Service Employees Association, will formally launch his campaign to be president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in a video message Friday to members.
That follows the announcement last week from AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders that he is running for the top job at the 1.6 million-member union.
Donohue’s announcement was expected, as he had declared his intentions to run after AFSCME President Gerry McEntee moved to retire last year after more than 30 years in charge.
But the formal announcement of Donohue's candidacy opens a new phase in what will likely be a bruising battle over the union's future — and its political giving.
But AFSCME’s days of heavy political giving could be numbered, depending on the outcome of what will likely be a closely contested leadership race.
Donohue is calling for big changes at AFSCME, saying he wants to put an end to the “checkbook unionism” that has equated campaign cash with political clout.
“We can't be held hostage by the Democrats or the Republicans. We have to put an end to checkbook unionism. We write a check and think that’s all that it really means,” Donohue told The Hill. “A politician will always take your check. I never see one of them refuse that. But if you give them a choice between your check or your vote, they would rather have your vote.”
Donohue’s platform, if enacted, could have major implications for national politics, and especially for Democrats’ chances in November. AFSCME is expected to spend at least $100 million or more on political activities, according to press reports, and much of that spending would likely benefit Democratic candidates.
If elected the union’s president, Donohue said he would not cut off funds for national political campaigns, but would focus more on state and local races. That could prevent a future candidate like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who has challenged unions, from winning office.
“Would we cut off the money to national elections? No. Would we maybe redirect some of it? That’s a very distinct possibility,” Donohue said. “Should we be using some of the money we would just give to the parties and use it to try to activate our members, to get more members involved in their union and in their fight? … The one thing we have is people that can vote.”
Donohue has questioned some of the union’s recent political moves, including the decision to spend $1 million on television ads targeting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) ahead of the Republican primary in Florida.
“Even on our side, we are spending money and some of it is very wasteful. We spent a million dollars on anti-Romney ads in Florida. Could we have used that in a better way?” Donohue said. “What we’re doing now is reacting to those people rather than planning on what we need to do to help make our candidates stronger and our candidates understand where we are.”
Saunders and Donohue battled for the No. 2 spot at the union in 2010, a race that Donohue narrowly lost.
Saunders is a McEntee protégé and has been involved in several of the recent state-level battles that have centered on public workers, including in Wisconsin and Ohio.
“He has the know-how and the contacts to make this work,” said Lillian Roberts, executive director of AFSCME District Council 37. “We certainly don't need to be changing now. We are in the fight of our lives.”
Roberts is a Saunders supporter and succeeded him at the New York City affiliate, which has 125,000 members.
Alice Goff, president of Los Angeles-based AFSCME Local 3090, will run for the union’s secretary-treasurer position at the convention, making her Donohue’s running mate. Goff said she liked how Donohue had gotten his start in the union as a rank-and-file member, like herself.
“Danny is the kind of the person to bring the kind of change that we need right now,” Goff said.
Roberts, however, argued that AFSCME couldn’t simply ignore what’s happening in Washington, and needs to stay involved in fights at the federal and local level moving forward.
“Why shouldn't we react to what comes out of Washington?” Roberts said. “I want him to keep his eye on the ball.”
The Saunders supporter said public workers are now in the middle of “a war” as states and Washington look to cut their pay and pensions as well as limit their collective bargaining powers.
“He has guided us though out all of this. I have a lot of respect for him for that,” Roberts said of Saunders. “This is a war. I hate to see in the middle of a war that we start changing horses.”
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