A delegation from Ireland's largest public sector union, Fórsa, will travel to Washington DC for meetings with US unions as well as with political and employer representatives.
The union says the visit will allow it to gather information on the latest US labour organising strategies, to comparatively examine the legislative developments on collective bargaining coverage in the US and EU, and provide a trade union analysis on the Irish political situation as the Good Friday Agreement approaches its 25th anniversary.
The Fórsa delegation will include the union’s general secretary Kevin Callinan and the five senior elected officers of the union’s National Executive Committee.
Speaking ahead of the Washington visit, Mr Callinan said the Irish presence in Washington in the week of St Patrick’s Day has become a key fixture in the Irish political calendar, and one in which there was already a well-developed employer presence.
"Considering the strong interaction between Irish business and political interests in Washington during the week, and the continuing parallel developments to improve collective bargaining coverage on both sides of the Atlantic, an Irish trade union presence is both practical and necessary as there's a host of discussions helping to determine Ireland’s economic future," Mr Callinan said.
"We’ve also reached out to our US union colleagues on this occasion so that we can learn more about the latest US labour organising strategies, with a particular focus on how the unions led a very effective grassroots political campaign during the recent midterm elections," he added.
While in the US, Fórsa will meet with representatives of the AFL-CIO, the Laborers' International Union of North America and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
