#BlackLivesMatter

If the AFL-CIO is truly invested in human rights, it will disaffiliate from police unions.

Its recent move of disavowing Bob Kroll is a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough to curb the racism, corruption, and nepotism that is rampant in police unions through the country. These police unions are a disgrace to unions nationwide. Rather than protecting workers, they enable oppression. Rather than fighting for fair wages, they fight for more weapons. Rather than supporting other workers and labor movements, they speak out against them. And as long as police unions have access to AFL-CIO support and legitimacy, they will never be held accountable for their antagonistic actions. As representatives of the working class—which is the most frequent target of the police—the AFL-CIO must take a stand. Police unions must go.

Police unions are some of the most corrupt organizations in America and have shown time and time again that they will always protect their officers from experiencing the consequences of their racist actions. This is the antithesis of what the AFL-CIO—and all American unions—should stand for.

We urge AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka to disaffiliate from police unions NOW. End their abuse of power and reclaim unions for real, hard-working Americans. Cut off their access to funds and resources. Show them that racism has no place here.

For further reading:

• "No More Cop Unions" by Kim Kelly at The New Republic
• "There’s One Big Reason Why Police Brutality Is So Common In The US. And That’s The Police Unions." by Melissa Segura at BuzzFeed
• "Police Unions’ Opposition to Prison Reform Is About More Than Jobs — It’s About Racism" by Natasha Lennard at The Intercept
• Statement from UAW (United Auto Workers) Local 2865 calling on the AFL-CIO to disaffiliate from police unions
• "How Police Unions and Arbitrators Keep Abusive Cops on the Street" by Connor Friedersdorf at The Atlantic
• "Police Unions Should Never Undermine Constitutional Policing" by Paige Fernandez at the ACLU