Page "John Sweeney (labor leader)" Paragraph 34

The New Voice political platform persuaded many unions to abandon the status quo.

Sweeney called for a major expansion of the federation's role in organizing by: spending $ 20 million a year on hiring and training thousands of new organizers ; mobilizing over 1, 000 college students for summer organizing ; creating a " Sunbelt Organizing Fund " to sponsor organizing in the South and Southwest ; and establishing a separate Organizing Department.

Sweeney also proposed creating a Center for Strategic Campaigns to coordinate all national contract campaigns ; creating a Strategic Campaign Fund to provide grants to unions in difficult organizing and contract fights ; creating a Strike Support Team of organizers that could be deployed to help support strikes ; and establishing a Pension Investment Clearinghouse to provide information on how pensions are invested and to help mobilize investments in support of organizing.

Sweeney also called for a modification of labor's political tactics and withdrawal of support for Democrats who did not support labor's agenda.

Sweeney recommended creating a National Labor Political Training Center to recruit and train candidates and political campaign directors, and establishing a Labor Center for Economic and Public Policy that would develop policy analysis, support the federation's legislative agenda and expand the political activities of the state federations and central labor councils.