CIO members for Kennedy, 1952 On February 26, 1958, Meany decided that enough was enough and personally intervened, turning up the pressure on Belanger to move forward. After noting that the deadline had long since expired, Meany threatened to begin revoking charters, declaring that he could take action to "effect the merger of central bodies not as yet merged." Adding a small carrot to this large stick, he acknowledged that while it might be "impossible" to meet even an extended deadline, the national office would offer whatever assistance might be necessary to reach the goal.

John F. Kennedy, William Belanger and union leaders, 1958 Yet even this mid-winter flare failed to break the ice jam. On May 8, 1958, the Merger Committee recorded their own impressions of why the negotiations had been so protracted, citing the familiar issues of pay for state offices, the number of departments, and differences over taxes (the CIO wanted 5 cents per capita, the AFL, half a cent). Stating that they "fully recogniz[ed]" that the CIO "is a potent force for good," the Committee specially recommended that the AFL concede the presidency to the CIO and, insinuating that the root of the problem might have been a simple lack of respect, they recommended that the AFL acknowledge the contributions of the smaller group to the new organization.