| Unions experienced a number of setbacks in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, leading many political observers to dismiss organized labor as irrelevant in American politics. Labor's fortunes, however, began to improve following the election of John Sweeney as the new president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in 1995. Sweeney implemented a number of reforms at the AFL-CIO, including a renewed focus on increasing the political participation of rank-and-file union members through education and get-out-the-vote activities, and increased media expenditures on issue advocacy advertisements. Unions continued to make direct campaign contributions to candidates, but Sweeney promised to hold candidates more accountable for their roll-call votes on important labor issues. This study systematically addresses the impact of Sweeney's changes using data from the American National Election Study (ANES), the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Campaign Assessment and Candidate Outreach Project, and other sources. The findings demonstrate that the changes in labor activities implemented under Sweeney have stimulated the political participation of rank-and-file members, increased the vote shares of congressional candidates who received labor's assistance, and have helped win additional legislative support from members of Congress who received union assistance. This is the first comprehensive examination of what labor unions are doing differently under Sweeney, and demonstrates that the changes under his leadership have helped unions become a powerful and relevant force again in American politics. |
