AFL-CIO Executive Council Finally
Adopts An Ethical  Practices Code

By Harry Kelber

An Ethical Practices Code, a standard feature for decades in AFL-CIO Constitutions, has been restored in the 2009 version of the Constitution, after having been secretly eliminated in the 2005 text.

Section 17 of the current Constitution now states:

“The Executive Council shall be authorized by a two-thirds vote to (1) adopt an ethical practices code that covers the executive officers and employees of the AFL-CIO and the state, area and local bodies, and to establish an appropriate enforcement system and appropriate sanctions  for violations of such code,  and

“(2) require trade and industrial departments and national and international unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO to adopt and enforce within their own organizations ethical practice codes that are consistent with the AFL-CIO code and to establish appropriate sanctions for non-compliance with this requirement.

“In the event the sanctions provided for by the Executive Council include suspension from the AFL-CIO or AFL-CIO office, that sanction may be imposed  only by a two-thirds  vote  of the Council after an appropriate hearing.”

New Ethical Code Protects Members from Abuse

The founders of the AFL-CIO who  created the Ethical Practices Committee,  stated  they are “committed, by word and deed, to the concept that free, democratic trade unionism must be clean, honest trade unionism.”  They appointed  five international union presidents, all senior members of the Executive Council, to enforce the ethical practices requirements.

The initial committee issued a 48-page booklet, “AFL-CIO Codes of Ethical Practices” (AFL-CIO Publication No. 58, Reissued May 1958) that develops individual codes in six areas that may require special attention: (1) Local Union Charters; (2) Health and Welfare Funds; (3)Racketeers, Crooks, Communists and Fascists; (4) Investments and Business Interests of Union Officials; (5) Financial Practices and Proprietary Activities of Unions; and (6) Union Democratic Processes. There is also a Supplemental Code:”Minimal Accounting and Financial Controls.”

It is recommended that the AFL-CIO reprint the booklet and make it available to union  officers and members. The text can be obtained on the Internet by clicking on ”AFL-CIO Ethical Practices Committee.” Union members should know what is an unethical practice in each of the six categories.

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The restoration of the Ethical Practices Committee is a major step forward toward making the AFL-CIO the kind of democratic institution its founders wanted it to be. We now have a course of action to deal with those who have violated members’ rights with impunity, because  they thought union members had no recourse to fight back.

We should be grateful to those members of the Executive Council who promoted the ethical practices policy  behind-the-scenes, because they  believed it was essential  to the AFL-CIO’s reputation and future growth.

We are encouraged in our  faith that progress can be made, despite seemingly impossible obstacles.-Harry Kelber