AFL-CIO convention: Where are the proposals for defining labor's Internet strategy?

With all the recent proposals flying about for improving the AFL-CIO, I have seen zero that address the need for developing strategies for leveraging the Internet. Even the proposal from the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA), an organization by and for labor communication specialists, mentions the phrase "web site" only in passing. This lack of initiative is more evidence that labor leaders fail to grasp how the Internet and its associated technologies will force unions to redefine their relationships with members and other stakeholders.

The fact is that unions are wasting a lot of money and effort employing web site technologies that are both ineffective and duplicative. Unions need to get on the same page and start sharing their collective wisdom about which technologies and computer-mediated communication techniques work and which do not. A major impetus for this community, "Communicate or Die", is to provide a space for these kinds of discussions. But beyond that, unions must get serious about the Internet and agree on a well-defnied strategy and then coordinate on its execution. An organized labor movement can't afford a disorganized approach to the web.