Labor's closing of ranks may aid legislative fight

By WITH ANALYSIS FROM MONITOR CORRESPONDENTS AROUND THE WORLD; EDITED BY RANDY SHIPP

June 11, 1981

The United Automobile Workers will be back in the AFL-CIO about July 1, in time to tighten organized labor's ranks for an all-out fight against what unions consider to be "atrocious" cutbacks in worker protections and social programs under the Reagan administration, Monitor labor correspondent Ed Townsend reports.

The UAW will merge its planned nationwide lobbying campaign -- the UAW's largest and most intensive ever -- with AFL-CIO's planned national rally, or jobs march, expected to bring tens of thousands of workers to Washington in September.

UAW president Douglas Fraser said auto workers will "camp out on lawmakers' doorsteps -- I don't care if it takes weeks, we're going to be there until this atrocious legislation is defeated."

AFL-CIO plans call for delegations from every state to meet in Washington for similar p urpose.