Purple ocean

Service Employees International Union president Andy Stern envisions a global labor movement. The NYTimes Magazine had a good article on the future of unions and the future of the democratic party--the two run parallel, and right now they're both in a rut.

Stern calls for progressive change:

"The economic policy of the Democratic Party, he says, ''is basically being opposed to Republicans and protecting the New Deal. It makes me realize how vibrant the Republicans are in creating 21st-century ideas, and how sad it is that we're defending 60-year-old ideas.'' Like big labor, Stern says, the party needs to challenge its orthodoxy -- and its interest groups -- if it wants to put forward a program that makes sense for new-economy workers."

He proposed to divert half the AFL-CIO's funds into organizing a revolutionary union movement, but the idea was voted down . Stern had threatened to leave the AFL-CIO, but he hasn't said yet if he will stick to that plan.

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