WASHINGTON, July 29 (UPI) -- The 1.4 million member United Food and Commercial Workers Friday became the third major union to end its affiliation with the AFL-CIO.
Departure of the UFCW, the Teamsters and the Service Employee's International Union, reduces membership in the largest U.S. labor federation by more than 4 million members -- nearly a third of the 13 million members the organization had at the beginning this week's 50th anniversary convention in Chicago.
Dissident union leaders formed the Change to Win Coalition and criticized re-elected AFL-CIO President John Sweeney for spending too much time and money on politics and not enough organizing rank and file workers.
UFCW International President Joe Hansen hand-delivered a letter to Sweeney outlining his union's vision for organized labor and shared goals and common issues with the AFL-CIO.
The UFCW represents 1.4 million grocery, retail, meatpacking, poultry and food processing industry workers in the United States and Canada.
UNITE HERE, which represents hotel, textile and garment workers, the Laborers International union and the United Farm Workers also may pull out of the national federation.
