WATERLOO - During his speech at the Iowa Federation of Labor's convention in Waterloo, Richard Trumka, national secretary-treasurer for the AFL-CIO, said the decision of three national unions to pull out of his organization was coming at a terrible time.

He said "workers are under the worst attack in 80 years" and now is not the time for labor divisions.

"We need more solidarity, not less solidarity," Trumka said.

Not only that, but he said the decision stripped the AFL-CIO of resources and will cost labor organizations at every level.

"I'm mad as hell at the unions who disaffiliated," Trumka said. "It was shortsighted. It was selfish."

On July 25, the Teamsters union and the Service Employees International Union voted to withdraw from the AFL-CIO. Four days later, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents workers at the Tyson Foods pork plant in Waterloo, also voted to withdraw from the AFL-CIO. The three unions made up 4.6 million of the AFL-CIO's 13 million members.

Mark Smith, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, says the defection will impact the AFL-CIO at the state level in a few areas.

One area is financially. When the defection occurred, the Iowa Federation of Labor lost 8,000 of its 53,000 dues-paying members. Smith said it amounts to a loss of about $120,000 per year.

The sudden need for additional revenue was address at the convention, but not entirely. At the convention, the members approved an increase in dues, but it will only make up about $77,000 per year. Smith said the remainder will have to come from having additional people joining unions.

At the local level, the defections are creating less of a problem than in other areas. Steve Abbott, president of the Black Hawk Union Council, AFL-CIO, said his organization lost 501 members out of about 8,000.

"We may be in the best shape in the state," Abbott said.

At the state level, the loss of the three unions could also create problems when elections roll around. The challenge will be making sure union interests are addressed during the elections.

"It'll be harder, because the coordination will be more difficult," Smith said.

Still, Smith believes the people formerly involved at the state level who left due to disaffiliation will continue to be in contact with the organization and the coordination efforts will work out. "I have every reason to believe it will," he said.

Abbott said the Black Hawk Union Council is still doing an effect analysis, but not much should change.

"Locally, our programs are going to be as strong as they were before," he said.

Abbott went to the national convention in Chicago and said he feels the organization's leadership has a clear direction to go.

" My union and most other unions think that as well," Abbott said. He is a member of the Communications Workers of America.

Trumka said despite the defection announcements, he was satisfied with the way the conference proceeded. "We came away with a new sense of determination," he said.

Contact RC Balaban at (319) 291-1418 or rc.balaban@wcfcourier.com.