AUGUST 26, 2008 - Brother John J. Sweeney, AFL-CIO President, issued a letter to SEIU Local 721 on August 21, 2008. In the letter, he established a deadline for SEIU 721 to cease its raiding activities against EAA. He states that ”raiding is contrary to the Solidarity Charter program established by the AFL-CIO Executive Council” and that the AFL-CIO will initiate action to revoke SEIU 721’s Solidarity Charter if SEIU 721 does not comply. Revocation of the Solidarity Charter would mean that SEIU 721 would be expelled from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (County Fed). SEIU 721, once expelled from the County Fed, would be ostracized by the labor community in Los Angeles and would be treated as a pariah.

The County Fed is chartered by the AFL-CIO and signing of a Solidarity Charter is one of the pre-requisites for non AFL-CIO unions to be members.