The divorce within the American labor movement five years ago is fast approaching reconciliation. Last Friday, the Laborers International Union of North America, or LIUNA, announced it would be rejoining the AFL-CIO following its spell as a member of a breakaway federation, Change to Win. The move is expected to be complete in October. This makes the third union to have journeyed home; last year former Change to Win members UNITE HERE and the Carpenters rejoined. The latest move speaks of organized labor's reenergized focus on securing congressional passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and other pro-union legislation. It also underscores the extent to which Change to Win from the start has been a hobbyhorse of Andrew Stern, who this spring retired as president of the rival federation's lead union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
