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The Teamsters proposal to cut the money local unions send to the AFL-CIO in half and use it for organizing instead was defeated in a 14-7 vote of the labor federation's executive committee in Las Vegas. Teamsters President James Hoffa says his union, SEIU, UFCW, the UAW, UNITE-HERE and the Laborer's together represent 40 percent of workers in the AFL-CIO and they¹ll keep fighting for their reform proposals until the national labor convention in Chicago in July.

[James Hoffa]: "We believe that a massive shift in resources and focus to organizing and growth in our union core industries and sector is the only path to rebuilding worker power in the workplace and in the political process."

SEIU's Andy Stern started this reform debate. He says organizing resources need to be beefed up and unions can¹t rely just on political action.

[Andy Stern 1]: "We need to change the institutions like the AFL-CIO to be focused like a laser beam on rebuilding the strength of workers to the days when it could change the lives of people in our country. We are confident we can do that."

Stern was disappointed by the vote rejecting the reform plan.

[Andy Stern 2]: "I don't think there is another plan yet for growth. And I happen to personally ­ and this is just my personal belief ­ do not put my faith in elected officials of either party to change the lives of our members alone."

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Rich Trumka says a plan proposed by federation president John Sweeney "welding politics and organizing together" was passed Wednesday. He said he couldn¹t reveal details because the full AFL-CIO Executive Council hadn¹t seen the details yet. And Trumka said an historic reorganization of state and local labor councils¹ political and organizing efforts passed unanimously Wednesday.

[Rich Trumka] "For the first time they¹re going to have to submit strategic plans with us. They're going to have to coordinate their plans with us so that we have the people on the ground at all levels of the organization focused on organizing, focused on growth, focused on politics.
I hope that we don't just take a snapshot for change and then at the convention say OK, we changed that¹s it. I hope that we institute the process of change so that from this day forward we¹re continuously looking at ourselves, changing ourselves and changing the labor movement to meet the needs of the people we represent. And that¹s the working women and working men of this country."