Conflicting resolutions on the AFL-CIO’s relations with unions in other countries may spark real debate at the federation’s upcoming convention in Chicago. While overshadowed by other internal fireworks this summer, an open discussion on international affairs would mark a challenge to the AFL-CIO’s foreign policy . . . .

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) convention in Phoenix, Arizona threw me back to a different year . . . .

Leaders of the Service Employees union have been driving the debates about labor’s future, proposing drastic changes to the AFL-CIO’s structure and threatening to pull out of the federation if these changes aren’t made . . . .

The Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR), the 35,000-member union that represents public school teachers in Puerto Rico, is locked in battle with its international union, the American Federation of Teachers. At a disaffiliation assembly in September 2004, more than 60 percent of FMPR voted to leave the AFT. In response, the International has been trying to force the FMPR back into the AFT . . . .