National Labor Execs, Chao Agree to Disagree

National union leaders strained to put the best face on what may be a painful relationship with the Bush administration after emerging from a “cordial” first meeting with Labor Secretary Elaine Chao on Wednesday.

However, there was no hiding their dismay at early signs that the administration is gunning for programs that are dear to labor’s heart, including ergonomic regulations issued in the final weeks of the Clinton administration.

“She was incredibly thoughtful and open and frank,” said Andrew Stern, international president of the Service Employees International Union, who met privately with Chao earlier in the day. “But she is part of President Bush’s administration, and presidents make policy on major issues. She didn’t want anybody to be confused about that.”

Leaders of dozens of national unions are in Los Angeles this week for the AFL-CIO’s annual executive council session--a far more subdued gathering than was held last year in New Orleans. At that time, the U.S. economy was strong, unions were growing at their fastest pace in decades, and labor was rolling out an aggressive campaign to put a good friend in the White House and regain Democratic control of Congress.

The electoral program fell short, of course, and the rate of union membership actually declined slightly last year, to 13.5% from 13.9%. With the economy slowing, unions have been forced back into a defensive crouch.

In fact, the energetic labor movement in Los Angeles is one of the few bright spots in the nation today. “We need dozens of cities like Los Angeles,” said AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney in opening the three-day session. “We’ve got to stay focused and stay united.”

The Bush administration already has floated four proposed executive orders that labor considers unfriendly. One would reverse a Clinton administration rule that federal agencies consider the labor and environmental track records of potential contractors. Another would require employers to post a notice that unionized workers can withhold the share of union dues spent for political purposes.

Although the rules are relatively obscure, the proposed orders, issued just two days into the new administration, have set labor leaders on edge. “We’re not getting off to a good start,” said Bill Samuel, AFL-CIO legislative director. “This is a sign that [Bush] is listening to the right-wing, anti-labor crowd.”

Unions are far more concerned with the administration’s position on rules to protect workers from repetitive motion injuries, which were issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration last November. Business groups, led by the National Assn. of Manufacturers, have made a priority of reversing those rules.

Congress could vote to rescind the rules by a simple majority. If the Republican majority does, OSHA can never come back with a similar rule unless members of both houses vote to allow it. “This is nuclear war,” said Samuel.

The OSHA rules are particularly significant to the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents workers in the high-injury meat packing and poultry industries. Union President Doug Dority met separately with Chao on the issue before she addressed the full council.

Dority invited Chao to tour a meat packing plant. She declined, although she did agree to meet with workers in her office. Chao also brought up objections that had been raised by business groups, including the charge that the science of ergonomics is unproven. “She did not commit to supporting the [ergonomic] standard,” United Food and Commercial Workers union spokesman Greg Denier said.

Chao met with the full AFL-CIO executive council for about half an hour, taking a dozen questions from union presidents on topics ranging from global labor protections to construction labor agreements. Several who attended said she vowed to keep her door open and serve as a liaison for labor to the president.

“I’m going to work very hard to find areas of commonality,” Chao said, speaking briefly to reporters after the meeting. “I look forward to a cordial, long and productive relationship.”