Local AFL-CIO regains control year after takeover by national

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/27/local-afl-cio-regains-control-year-after-by/

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Colorado AFL-CIO will regain local control of its operations today, closing a bitter chapter for the state's organized labor movement.


Mike Cerbo says state unit has "pulled back together."


The move restores autonomy to a group whose previous internal divisions prompted last year's takeover by the national office and the ouster of its top elected leaders. Members of the state labor federation will vote to make the change official at the group's convention in Denver.

"We've pulled back together and we're moving on," said Mike Cerbo, who was hired as executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO after national trustees took control of the state office's daily operations and removed its president and secretary-treasurer from their posts.

At the state convention, member unions will vote to change the Colorado AFL's constitution to reflect the switch to having an executive director oversee the group instead of elected officers.

The group split into factions amid disagreements between its main leaders. When the national office appointed Washington labor leader Rick Bender to serve as the state federation's trustee, he concluded that both of the officers needed to be removed to keep member unions from defecting.

Former Colorado AFL-CIO President Steve Adams and Secretary-Treasurer Paul Mendrick lost their jobs in the power struggle.

FULL story at link.