There is no “E” in AFL-CIO

John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, held a briefing today to outline the union’s plans to push the “Fair Share Health Care” campaign in state legislatures around the country. Patterned after legislation currently pending in Maryland, Sweeney pledged a state-by-state ground game in 30 different legislatures.

A ground game? What a snooze.

There was no mention on the call that the AFL-CIO would launch a blog, use mobile communications, or even place online advertising to promote their effort. These are the tools of modern politics, but they are apparently not part of the AFL-CIO’s repertoire.

Other Unions are taking advantage of the web. Both the UFCW and SEIU have launched online efforts in opposition to Wal-Mart practices. SEIU has garnered a lot of attention for their Purple Ocean effort – a low-cost, hands-on counter to Wal-Mart’s high-intensity publicity campaign designed to raise awareness “person-by-person and city-by-city.”

I’m not suggesting that John Sweeny launch a blog (ok, maybe I am it wouldn’t kill him to try it). But I would have liked to hear Sweeney recognize that the internet could have a big impact in this effort, or that his members might welcome the change from the traditional effort.

I’m making a list of suggestions for how the AFL-CIO could leverage technology to improve this effort. Any suggestions?; Post your thoughts in the comments.