Many of the nation's largest labor unions, including the Teamsters and Service Employees International Union, are pushing a plan to cut in half most unions' contributions to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and instead devote the money to organizing workers, several labor leaders said yesterday.
With union membership and power steadily declining, such a move would in theory increase membership, although it would weaken the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and force it to lay off many employees.
The push for these changes comes as a few union presidents are quietly maneuvering to persuade John J. Sweeney, the federation's president, not to run for a new four-year term.
At a meeting in Washington on Thursday, the presidents of several major labor unions backed a Teamsters-led plan to cut contributions to the federation, hoping the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s executive council will approve the plan at its meeting in Las Vegas in early March.
Under the Teamsters' plan, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., a federation of 59 unions representing 13 million workers, would be forced to cut its staff of 425 and to narrow its focus mostly to politics, lobbying and serving as a spokesman for workers.
"I support the Teamsters' proposal because it puts the financial resources where they belong - into organizing," said Bruce Raynor, president of Unite Here, the newly merged union representing apparel, hotel and restaurant workers. "We need to do everything we can to reverse the decline in living standards for American workers, which has been brought about by declining union density."
The percentage of workers in unions has plunged to 12.5 percent from nearly 35 percent in the 1950's.
Among the presidents at Thursday's meeting supporting the 50 percent cut in contributions were Mr. Raynor, James P. Hoffa of the Teamsters and Andrew Stern of the service employees. Although in the hospital, Joseph Hansen, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers, participated by telephone to back the plan. Terence M. O'Sullivan of the Laborers' International Union has also voiced support.
Together, these unions represent almost five million workers, nearly 40 percent of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s membership.
Union officials say Mr. Stern and Mr. Raynor have told other labor leaders that while they believe Mr. Sweeney is doing the best he can to reverse labor's decline, it is time for new, more forceful leadership. Mr. Sweeney is viewed as a consensus builder, who acknowledges that he has not succeeded in persuading many unions to increase their organizing as much as he had hoped.
When Mr. Sweeney, 70, was first elected federation president in 1995, he said he would serve at most 10 years. But he has reversed himself and has said repeatedly in recent months that he wants to head the federation for four more years.
"What we're seeing is a little what we saw before, when some labor leaders thought it was time to get rid of Lane Kirkland," said Charles Craver, a labor relations expert at George Washington University, referring to Mr. Sweeney's predecessor. "There's a feeling that the organization has not been moving forward. John Sweeney has tried very hard to turn things around, but if you look at the bottom line, there is no significant change. The decline has continued unabated."
In 1995, several union leaders maneuvered openly to pressure Mr. Kirkland to retire, and that effort succeeded. The effort to nudge Mr. Sweeney aside is smaller, quieter and less forceful, partly because he is so well liked and respected.
"John has talked to a lot of union presidents, and he has more than 50 percent backing for re-election," said Mr. Sweeney's spokeswoman, Denise Mitchell.
Several union presidents at Thursday's meeting have told others that they hope that John W. Wilhelm, one of the two top leaders of Unite Here, will run for the federation's presidency if Mr. Sweeney decides not to run again - and perhaps even if he decides to run.
Mr. Wilhelm declined to comment, although at a forum last week in Los Angeles he indicated he would not be interested in the federation's presidency unless union leaders embraced some of the proposed structural changes.
Richard Trumka, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s secretary treasurer and a former president of the United Mine Workers, has signaled that he plans to seek the federation's presidency if Mr. Sweeney steps down.
At Thursday's meeting, several officials said, the presidents backed a proposal to have unions focus more on organizing workers in their core industries, an idea intended to get unions to stop undercutting one another in recruiting workers and in negotiating contracts. Under the Teamsters' plan, unions would have their contribution to the A.F.L.-C.I.O. cut only if they pledged to spend more than 10 percent of their budgets on organizing. The reduced contributions could reach $35 million a year.
"What I'm picking up is there is growing sentiment for major changes, and certainly the current A.F.L.-C.I.O. leadership is going to have to respond one way or another to the call for changes," said Greg Tarpinian, a labor consultant and adviser to Mr. Hoffa. "Once that happens, then the next course of action will be determined."
Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Sweeney's spokeswoman, said, "John agrees with some of these reform ideas."
She said Mr. Sweeney supported some form of cut in dues payments by unions.