A look at labor and more.

The arrival of Labor Day has a special significance for NCEW this year. Shortly after this holiday, members will gather in Pittsburgh to discuss work-related issues, from labor unions to energy deregulation to new technologies.

Whet your appetite for the September 12-15 conference with this edition of The Masthead. (Late registrants: Call headquarters at 301/984-3015.)

We include an interview with one of the conclave's key speakers, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney. The questions are drawn from responses to a query I put on the listserv asking members what they would like to ask the long-time labor leader.

Sweeney, who came up through the ranks, is known as being both militant and conciliatory, seemingly contradictory but not necessarily. The militant label stems from 1995, when as president of the Service Employees International Union, he led janitors in a sit-in that blocked rushhour traffic in Washington, D.C. That same year, he used his consensus-building skills to win the presidency of the AFL-CIO.

The affable Sweeney answered all but one question The Masthead posed. That question was about AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Richard Trumka, who was alleged to have diverted union dollars to the campaign of Ron Carey when he was running for Teamsters president in 1991. Later, Trumka pleaded the Fifth Amendment when questioned by Justice Department officials.

Using the Fifth to avoid questions is a violation of union rules, and Trumka should have been removed from office, said some NCEW members. A union spokesperson referred questions about Trumka to the union's attorneys.

The union maintains there was no wrong-doing. There is no link to Sweeney because the alleged transaction is said to have occurred well before he took over leadership. Still, the question is legitimate because Sweeney's rise to power came at a time when union members were demanding organizational reforms.

Also within this issue, we explore work issues within our own business. Of note is Susan Albright's advice for keeping editorial staffs happy. Her article complements a chapter she wrote for the NCEW book, Beyond Argument: A Handbook for Editorial Writers. That book is available for $24.95 plus shipping and handling from NCEW headquarters, 301/984-3015.

Part of Aibright's advice is to encourage staff to take advantage of training opportunities. Deadlines are coming up for two such events.

One is the annual Editorial Writers' Seminar offered by the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Maryland. Application deadline for the December 5-7 seminar is October 26. Contact Carol Homer at [e-mail]

Another is the Institute of Bill of Rights, annual Supreme Court Preview, scheduled for September 21 and 22 at the William and Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Va. Registration is $50 before Sept. 7 and $60 thereafter.