PrintMarch 19, 2009
Leftist union battles its own union
Barack Obama's favorite union, the Service Employees Internal Union (SEIU), headed by Andrew Stern, is battling a union formed by its own employees. Hypocri
sy rarely appears in such a pure and distilled form. If I recall correctly, ACORN has asked to be exempted from minimum wage laws, as well, in at least some locations.
Believe it or not, there is a union called the UUR - the Union of Union Representatives, and it is claiming the SEIU is laying off workers without appropriate notice, using temporary workers, banning union activities, and reclassifying workers to reduce union members.
The Washington Post broke the story yesterday, and our friend Doug Ross has fleshed out the story with attention to the SEIU's other scandals, and his trademark keen eye for graphics. An example of the background Doug provides:
Some reports indicate that the SEIU contributed $27 million to Barack Obama's campaign. Other media outlets describe the SEIU's $80 million overall stimulus package for Democratic candidates in 2008 with additional plans to spend tens of millions more in support of socialized medicine and "card check" instant unionization proposals.
Since Obama's election, the SEIU's power has grown stronger and its antics more outrageous. SEIU President Andy Stern is reported to have been the "SEIU official" who attempted to broker a deal between Rod Blagojevich and the White House over Obama's Senate seat. In the transcript released by federal law enforcement officials, the "SEIU official" offered to "send up a flare" to determine whether an SEIU 501(c)(4) group could be used to reward Blagojevich.
The Los Angeles Times also reports that the SEIU is embroiled in a series of financial scandals that may or may not be related to Obama. And it appears to be scrapping with other labor groups, presumably attempting to peel off their membership dues.
