Monday, September 28, 2009   By now there is something to be
learned from the bitter internecine battles that embroil Andy
Stern of the SEIU, Sal Rosselli of the new National Union of
Healthcare Workers, John Wilhelm of UNITE HERE, and Bruce Raynor
of Workers United. It is becoming clearer that this is no mere
struggle for power among ambitious union leaders. It involves a
sharp challenge to Stern's favored conception of a labor
movement highly centralized at the top and regimented below. It
marks an important break in the trend toward
superbureaucratization of the American labor movement. That
challenge is manifested in two new union constitutions: one,
adopted in haste as the founding constitution of Rosselli's
NUHW; the other, the extensively revised constitution of
Wilhelm's UNITE HERE, just adopted at its convention in July.
In 'normal' times (if any times are normal), both constitutions
would surely be of great interest to union activists and civil
libertarians. However, in our times, they have a speci