As pressure grows on the AFL-CIO to reform, labour unionist and gadfly Mike Westfall continues his effort to bring the giant to task in what he calls a “cultural war”. In a Speroforum email interview, Westfall expanded upon a weekend editorial as well as his call for a change in a “politically correct” labour union leadership.
In a July 24 Flint Journal article, Westfall again condemned embattled AFL-CIO of Michigan President Mark Gaffney’s earlier remarks that the American Family Association – of which Westfall is a member - is anti-labour. The AFA has been circulating a letter signed by union members and activists urging the AFL-CIO to rescind its stated opposition to proposed amendments to the US constitution that would ban ‘Gay” marriage. Westfall, a member of the United Auto Workers’ union for over 40 years and a resident of Flint, Michigan, has long been known for his fierce advocacy of workers’ rights in the face of the downturn of General Motors in south-eastern Michigan.
In addition, Westfall has written an open letter demanding that Pride-at-Work, which is the AFL-CIO’s lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender constituency group, should “release John Sweeney to rescind its opposition to federal and state constitutional marriage amendment…He won’t listen to his own Christian members on the state and federal marriage amendments because it seems that you have a hold on him.”
Westfall says further in his letter to the gay rights group “Show him (Sweeney) how he has arbitrarily pushed through the agenda of those practicing homosexuality without any fair and open debate or meaningful voice from the workforce and the union’s Christian members. Explain to him that this issue is very divisive and has the power to rip the AFL-CIO apart.”
“Explain to him that those who choose to practice homosexuality already have the same equal rights as other workers and there really is no civil rights or human rights discrimination involved. Blacks were discriminated against because of their colour and not their lifestyle. This issue is about chosen lifestyle. Today, America’s Black religious leaders, some of whom co-signed the letter with me and were marc
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