Amend Article III, Section 8 [as proposed by the 5 unions]:

Section 8: Affiliates of the Federation shall be encouraged to build worker power by eliminating conflicts and duplications in organization and jurisdictions through the process of voluntary agreement or voluntary merger in consultation with the appropriate officials of the Federation. Accordingly the AFL-CIO shall implement a proactive, industry-based strategic merger policy as adopted by the AFL-CIO Convention delegates and is hereby authorized to take all necessary steps to effectuate its terms.

AFL-CIO Policy on Encouraging National Union Mergers

1. The AFL-CIO is committed to uniting workers with common interests and in common core jurisdictions and so encourages voluntary and appropriate mergers of national unions that will increase union bargaining strength, contribute to the growth of the labor movement, and improve the lives of working Americans. Effective union mergers strengthen the labor movement, and inappropriate mergers can weaken it.
   
2. The AFL-CIO shall use its good offices to encourage unions that have common core jurisdictions to engage in merger discussions and shall facilitate those discussions when asked.
   
3. The Executive Committee shall appoint a Blue Ribbon Panel on Strategic Mergers to evaluate the overlapping and complementary jurisdictions of union affiliates, their potential for growth with or without mergers, and other related factors, in order to stimulate consideration of appropriate mergers among affiliates, and with a directive to issue a set of recommendations. The Panel shall commence its work in September, 2005, and may draw on assistance and input from union leaders, trade and industrial departments, relevant ICC’s, affected workers, and experts outside the labor movement whose counsel the Panel determines would be helpful.
   
4. The Panel’s recommendations shall address steps the Federation might take to more effectively encourage appropriate mergers, and may contain proposals as to specific merger possibilities, in one or more sectors. The Panel shall complete its report to the Executive Committee no later than February, 2006.
   
5. The Executive Committee shall, based on the Panel’s Report, prepare a set of findings and recommendations shall be presented to the Executive Council at its following meeting.