A Rope of Sand: The AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education

Abstract

This paper analyses the political capacity of the American labor movement, that is, its ability to mobilize organizational resources in support of endorsed candidates. It reviews the work of the Committee on Political Education (COPE), the political arm of the AFL-CIO, at state and local levels and within local unions. It is at these levels that the political apparatus of the AFL-CIO either functions smoothly or breaks down. Our analysis of COPE reveals that the AFL-ClO lacks the organizational means to transform its endorsements into voter support at the polls. It is then argued that the market strategy of the American labor movement, its strategy to pursue distributive claims through collective bargaining rather than legislation, is responsible for COPE's incapacity.

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