NLRB Update: Everyone But Becker

Senate confirms Pearce and Hayes, sidelines SEIU's Becker.

According to Bloomberg...

The National Labor Relations Board reached its full five-member size for the first time since December 2007 after the U.S. Senate confirmed two of President Barack Obama’s nominees.

Brian Hayes, a Republican Senate aide, was confirmed by the Senate as it approved a package of almost 70 of Obama’s stalled nominees. The Senate also confirmed Mark Pearce, a Democrat Obama appointed to the board in March, for a full term.

However, the one person the Senate appears to have overlooked? The SEIU's Craig "Refuse to Recuse" Becker.

Becker, opposed by Republicans and business groups for his ties to labor unions, wasn’t confirmed by the Senate today. That means he will serve on the board only until the end of 2011, less than the full five-year term.

With Andy Stern opting to reside in Corporate America now, it appears the SEIU may not have as much sway as it did just a few short months ago.
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

More on former SEIU boss Andy Stern's golden parachute...

We posted on former SEIU boss Andy Stern's joining a corporate board of directors yesterday.

Now, Beyond Chron opines...

Not bad enough to cause painful damage to workers who are still paying for his fat compensation package, and too many others who took risks and made sacrifices only to see their organizing or contract campaigns damaged or smashed entirely.


All the while, he’s building his own golden parachute from the burning wreckage he left, polishing up his WH insider portfolio — and then peddling his ass to fat cats and high hats everywhere who must enjoy having a pet labor leader who does tricks upon command — all for the same bastards who are actively destroying the American dream for the working stiffs and huddled masses this punk once claimed to speak for.

For some reason, Andy's switch from union boss to corporate insider isn't sitting too well.
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

SEIU's Andy Stern gets a new job as a corporate insider...

Maybe Andy's sudden resignation from the Service Employees International Union wasn't so sudden after all?...

SIGA Technologies, Inc. (SIGA 6.76, -0.04, -0.59%) , a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to combat bio-warfare pathogens, announced today that Andy Stern, labor leader and prominent advocate for reform, joined SIGA's board of directors. Mr. Stern is the former president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in North America.

[snip]

"Andy is a strong leader and a great addition to our Board of Directors. His insight, experience, and leadership, particularly his understanding of how our federal government works, will complement the skill sets of our existing board members," said Dr. Eric Rose, SIGA's Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Stern has been cited in numerous publications as being one of the most influential leaders on healthcare and a frequent White House visitor. In 2010, Stern was named a Presidential appointee to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Though it does appear, having the dude who holds the keys to the White House may benefit SIGA rather nicely:

Shares of SIGA Technologies have approached the eight dollar level of late, rebounding nicely from the low of under five dollars about six months ago. The SIGA stock reached a high of over ten bucks last December in anticipation of a possible awarding of a BARDA contract for the ST-246 smallpox vaccine. The contract did not pan out at the time, although some modifications to the application process in the interest of creating competition were announced around that time.

A $2.8 million contract was awarded to Siga by the Department of Defense in early March, although this one was for ST-669, a broad-spectrum anti-viral. 

That's nothing in comparison to the big BARDA contract that investors of the company are waiting for, but it does have the potential to rake in up to ten million dollars for SIGA when it's all said and done.

Then, too it helps that SIGA's Eric Rose was appears to have been an Obama donor and that SIGA seems to be doing well sucking off of the government teat.

Welcome to your new home, Andy.  We're sure we'll be paying for your avarice somehow.
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Desperate Times for Desperate Dems

You know when time are bad for socialists Democrats when one of their own becomes a capitalist lobbyist for a corporation fighting the SEIU*...

Former House Dem leader Gephardt hired as lobbyist by firm battling SEIU

Former House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) has been hired to lobby for a major food-services company that has faced criticism from a powerful union


Gephardt and Tom O’Donnell, his former chief of staff, have registered to lobby on “labor/management related matters” by Sodexo, according to lobbying disclosure records.


The French-owned company has been embroiled in a battle with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) over a labor organizing campaign, and Gephardt is known for his labor ties.


[snip]


The company has also hired Jeff Trammell, a former senior adviser to ex-Vice President Al Gore, to lobby for the firm.

...and its not Gephardt's first time working for corporations either...

So what does a labor union supporter and former 14-term congressman do after abandoning all hope of becoming president?  Does he hook up with a union and use his connections to further the cause?  Does he put his Northwestern University bachelor’s degree and University of Michigan law degree to use by doing public interest work?  Does he teach, write books and go on the lecture circuit, extolling the virtues of America’s workers?


No. He turns his back on what he formerly stood for and goes for the easy money.  He places his snout in the trough right next to the other guys.  Gephardt becomes a lobbyist.  Not only a lobbyist, but a lobbyist for Goldman Sachs


This former critic of Wall Street is now a booster of Wall Street.  With his knowledge and connections, there were a dozen ways Gephardt could have helped the labor movement. He could have made a difference.  Instead, by defecting, he defiled his legacy and further fanned the flames of cynicism.

Yo, Dick! Money talks, bulls**t walks!

[Now we know how much your "service" in Washington meant to you!]

...can't...stop...laughing...

__________________

"I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.



[* Emphasis added throughout.]

Why the Arkansas Runoff is Important: Union bosses delivered a $10 million message to Democrats

Union bosses suffered a seeming setback on Tuesday as Arkansas voters rejected the union attempt to make an example out of Blanche Lincoln.  But the setback isn't what it seems.

The Black Sheep Survives the Slaughterhouse

From the beginning, Tuesday's Arkansas Showdown was really more about the national Democratic Party and who owns it  than it was about Blanche Lincoln.  Blanche Lincoln was merely the black sheep sacrificial lamb who didn't toe the line for union bosses and, therefore, whose throat needed to be slit to ensure that all the other Democratic sheep would fall back into line.

It was a union plan hatched long before Blanche bucked the union bosses.  In fact, in 2008, the SEIU announced that it had set aside $10 million of its members' money to "unelect" politicians who did not toe the labor line.  Blanche Lincoln was the first major test case.

While the effort failed in Arkansas, the message to the rest of the Democratic establishment is simple and clear:

We bought you. We own you. You buck us. We destroy you.

Unions work to tighten their noose on Democrats' necks.
Notwithstanding the fact that neither the American people nor the media would stand for a corporation or group of corporations engaging in such blatant extorionate tactics, union bosses used their members' money to make an example of Blanche Lincoln.

Although it failed in Arkansas, the fact is Arkansas is a Right-to-Work state and has a low number of union members compared to Forced Unionization states should not be ignored.  The fact that unions wasted of $10 million of members' money to send a message to all Democrats should also not be ignored.

Union bosses believe that, since they bought the Democratic Party, they own it and, therefore, Democrat politicians must obey their union masters or face the assault that Blanche Lincoln staved off.

The Faux-Family Feud
While the media is playing up the faux-rift between the White House and union bosses, the real story is that Labor is not licking its wounds.

Labor leaders were incensed by an undisclosed White House official’s assertion to POLITICO Tuesday night that the unions’ support of Halter amounted to “flushing $10 million” of their members’ money down the toilet on “a pointless exercise.”

“If even half that total had been well-targeted and applied in key House races across this country, that could have made a real difference in November,” the official said.

To the contrary, union bosses are pleased with the fact that they almost took Lincoln down:

...[U]nion leaders insisted Wednesday that forcing Lincoln into a runoff and coming within a few thousand votes of unseating her had achieved their goal — getting other wayward Democrats to think twice before crossing labor.


"If working families were able to accomplish this in Arkansas, imagine what they can achieve in other states," said AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka.


Union officials were unified in praising the outcome as a strong warning to Democratic incumbents like Lincoln who have taken labor's money and utterly defied them when it comes to votes. They are tired of the argument that Republicans would be even worse, so labor should tolerate the lesser of two evils.


"It's been well worth it," said American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees president Gerald McEntee. "We've gotten more publicity and been talked about in terms of powerful labor more than I've heard in the last 20 years."

While Blanche Lincoln survived the unions and will likely fall in November, the union bosses succeeded in sending the message to the rest of the Democrat politicians who might be considering having a view independent of union bosses:  Don't even think about it.

For those that do not want to fall under the jackboots of today's union bosses, the message is also clear:

In order to overcome the assault that unions are going to engage in leading up to November, Americans will need to be better organized, more strongly motivated, and, most important, they need to get out and vote.

__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

SEIU's Becker Wrongly Splits Hairs on Recusing Himself on SEIU's cases at NLRB

Earlier this week, we pointed out SEIU-attorney-turned-NLRB-member Craig Becker's seeming violation of his ethics pledge by ruling on a case involving the SEIU, in breach of the two year moratorium.

A mere five days later, in another case (ironically involving the SEIU again), Becker takes the chance to address his critics with thumb planted firmly on nose, stating that the reason he is (and, presumably, will continue) ruling on cases involving the SEIU is because SEIU locals are different from the SEIU international union.

...the Moving Parties ask that I recuse myself on the grounds that local labor organizations affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are parties to the cases. Prior to the commencement of my service on the Board, I was employed by and served as counsel to the SEIU. I resigned that position and ceased all such representation effective April 4, 2010, prior to being sworn in as a Member of the Board. Pursuant to the President’s Executive Order and Title 5 of the Code, I have pledged to recuse myself from all cases to which SEIU is a party for a period of 2 years subsequent to April 5, 2010. That pledge, however, does not require me to recuse myself from all cases in which local unions affiliated with the SEIU are parties.

SEIU is a separate and distinct legal entity from the many local labor organizations affiliated with SEIU. The courts have clearly distinguished local unions as autonomous entities separate and apart from international unions with which they are affiliated. [Emphasis added.]

A splitting of the hairs Absolutely.

Moreover, it's a faulty argument.  The SEIU has control over its locals and for Craig Becker to argue that they are separate and distinct is like stating that a parent has no responsibility for its child.

While it is true that the Service Employees International Union is a separate legal entity from its local unions, the international is, in fact the parent of those locals.

More importantly, the SEIU's own union constitution (in PDF) seems to contradict Mr. Becker's argument:

This organization shall be known as the Service Employees International Union, affiliated with Change to Win and the Canadian Labour Congress, and shall consist of an unlimited number of Local Unions chartered by it, and the membership thereof, and such affiliated bodies as may be established from time to time. [Article I, p. 3]

It appears there's not much distinction. Then, of course, there this:

Article III


JURISDICTION AND MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. The International Union shall be composed of and have jurisdiction over its affiliated bodies and all Local Unions composed of working men and women who are employed or engaged in any phase of private, nonprofit or public employment... [Article III, p. 4]

...and this...

The International President is empowered to construe the jurisdiction above defined to embrace all classifications of workers within any establishment anywhere in the world.


Section 2(a). The International Union shall have jurisdiction over the Local Unions and their members and over all affiliated bodies. 

and this [note the term with the approval of]:...

(c). With the approval of the International Union, Local Unions may establish different categories of membership and rates of dues for persons represented and not represented by the Local Union for collective bargaining purposes including, but not limited to, life members, retired members and associate members.

...and this certainly appears that the SEIU International President can "require and direct" local unions...

(f). Consistent with the programs and policies adopted by the SEIU Convention delegates, the International President shall be empowered to negotiate and enter into national, regional, or areawide collective bargaining agreements, including companywide or multi-employer agreements, and to coordinate activities toward this end in consultation with the Local Unions involved, and is authorized to require and direct coordinated bargaining among Local Unions. [Article VIII, p. 13]

...or this...

(h). The International President shall have authority to interpret this Constitution and Bylaws and decide on all points of law submitted to him or her by Local Unions or the membership thereof, or by affiliated bodies, subject to appeal to the International Executive Board, and the next Convention. [Article VIII, p. 14]

...and this...

Section 2. Any member or officer of a Local Union aggrieved by any action of his or her Local Union or affiliated body not covered by the provisions of Article XVII of this Constitution (including determinations of election protests) may petition the International President within 15 days after the act complained of, or may petition the International Executive Board, within 15 days after the action of the International President thereon, to review the action of the Local Union or affiliated body. [Article VIII, p. 14]

...or this...

Section 4. The International President shall sign all charters and other official documents of this International Union; shall have the authority to direct an examination of the books and records of any Local Union or affiliated body;... [Article VIII, p. 14]

...and, of course, this...

Section 7(a). Whenever the International President has reason to believe that, in order to protect the interests of the membership, it is necessary to appoint a Trustee for the purpose of correcting corruption or financial malpractice, assuring the performance of collective bargaining agreements or other duties of a bargaining representative, restoring democratic procedures, or otherwise carrying out the legitimate objects of this International Union, he or she may appoint such Trustee to take charge and control of the affairs of a Local Union or of an affiliated body and such appointment shall have the effect of removing the officers of the Local Union or affiliated body. [Article VIII, p. 15]

...and the Trustees powers over a local?

(b). The Trustee shall be authorized and empowered to take full charge of the affairs of the Local Union or affiliated body and its related benefit funds, to remove any of its employees, agents and/or trustees of any funds selected by the Local Union or affiliated body and appoint such agents, employees or fund trustees during his or her trusteeship, and to take such other action as in his or her judgment is necessary for the preservation of the Local Union or affiliated body and for the protection of the interests of the membership.

Sounds like the SEIU is in charge of its locals, doesn't it?

Section 4. No Local Union shall have any right to pay any bills before it pays its full obligation to the International Union each month. [Article XIII, p. 24]

And, of course, the SEIU international constitution "governs" its locals...

Section 3. The Constitution and Bylaws of all Local Unions and affiliated bodies and amendments thereto must be submitted to the International Union and be approved before they become valid; provided, however, that notwithstanding such approval, the Constitution and Bylaws of all Local Unions and affiliated bodies shall at all times be subordinate to the Constitution and Bylaws of the International Union as it may be amended from time to time .... Regardless of approval, if any conflict should arise between the Constitution and Bylaws of a Local Union and affiliated bodies or any amendments thereto, and the Constitution and Bylaws of the International Union as it may be amended from time to time, the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws of the International Union shall govern. [Article XV, p. 27]

So, while Mr. Becker may try to argue that the SEIU is different from its local unions, the truth is the SEIU exercise a lot of power over its locals, making the SEIU the parent to its children.

Either way, it's the same house!

__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Is the SEIU using racist stereotypes in Arizona travel hotline parody?

Last week, we called attention to the SEIU's new "travel hotline" advising travelers and its seemingly racist undertones.

Now, Fox News' Megyn Kelly takes the purple people eater to task:



Given the SEIU's recent racial play in the Arkansas runoff, it appears there is a troubling pattern emerging out of the house that Andy Stern built.
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

He almost certainly broke his ethics pledge, but did the SEIU's Craig Becker break the LAW?

It's not like we're shocked (is anything involving unions really shocking anymore?)....

Still, it is pretty blatant for the SEIU's former assistant general counsel, Craig Becker, who is now sitting on the National Labor Relations Board to be issuing decisions on behalf of the SEIU.  Especially when Becker seems to be in clear breach of his signed ethics pledge where he pledged:

I will not for a period of two years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.

So, after reading the above pledges (and presuming that it his signature on the pledge), it might be hard for him to explain this:

St. Barnabas Hospital and Committee of Interns and Residents, Local 1957, SEIU, Petitioner. Case 2–RC–23356

June 3, 2010

ORDER DENYING REVIEW

BY CHAIRMAN LIEBMAN AND MEMBERS SCHAUMBER AND BECKER

The National Labor Relations Board, by a three member panel, has carefully considered the Employer’s request for review of the Regional Director’s Decision and Direction of Election. The Regional Director directed an election among the Employer’s house staff. The Employer asserts, among other reasons, that the Regional Director should have considered the applicability of Brown University, 342 NLRB 483 (2004). We deny review.

Are you shocked?  If so, why?
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Harry Reid gets an inconvenient question about SEIU stormtroopers

During a May 28th press conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was asked an inconvenient question by Kerry Picket.

During a press conference last Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, told reporters about a bipartisan amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting the right of military families to bury the remains of their loved ones without being protested. I asked Mr. Reid if the same right to privacy should extend to private citizens whose homes are protested by public unions. Mr. Reid dodged the issue saying, "I don't know anything about lawns and Bank of America executives."

Harry Reid said he didn't know about the SEIU's organized, premeditated trampling of an individual's private property?

Yeah.

Okay.

Sure.

__________________

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.”Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Communist Party USA honors SEIU & AFSCME leaders

From the horse's mouth:

Three Connecticut labor leaders, Art Perry, Anna Montalvo and Gwen Mills, will be honored on Sunday, Dec. 6, with the annual Amistad Award presented by the People's World, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party USA. The reception, "Keep the Ball Rolling ... to win jobs with union rights, health care, peace and equality!" will be held at 4 p.m. at the New Haven People's Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven.


The three are being recognized for their contributions in mobilizing in the workplace and community and building coalitions for social change. Also featured on the program will be music and spoken word, a holiday gift table and homemade buffet.


Art Perry has been an organizer and community and political activist since working at Southbury Training School as a member of New England Health Care Employees Union / District 1199 in the 1970s. His grassroots political organizing with working families has elected many progressives to local, state and federal office. He served with1199 for 17 years, and is now Connecticut political director of SEIU 32BJ Justice for Janitors where he furthers his beliefs in justice, equality and community organization.


Anna Montalvo is the first woman and the first Latina to serve as president of the 1,500-member AFSCME Local 1522 in Bridgeport. As a child she experience discrimination in the schools of New York which gave her the drive to pursue her education, and help ensure that all parents and students are treated with respect and dignity. She is a vice-president of AFSCME Council 4 and active in many community and labor organizations, and is recipient of numerous awards.


Gwen Mills was raised in New Haven. In the 1980s she participated with CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador), and later spent a year in Mozambique working with local groups to re-establish activist organizations at the close of the civil war. In 2000 Gwen returned to New Haven where she has served as a lead organizer with the CT Center for a New Economy (CCNE). In 2007 she became political field director of Unite-Here unions for Connecticut and Rhode Island.

McCarthyism?  Yeah, right.
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

The Chicago Way on Trial: Blago, Obama & The SEIU

If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror, because I bet that's what really throws you into a panic. Jack Handey

Summers are generally known as a time for forest fires and where there's smoke, there's usually a fire burning.  Right now, as waves of oil splash along the coastlines of the southeastern United States, there are large plumes of smoke coming from Pennsylvania, as far away as Colorado, and a huge cloud of smoke is hanging over the State of Illinois threatening to choke the airways of several Washington insiders.  And, while the White House fecklessly tries to deal with all of them, each (individually or collectively) have the potential of bringing down the presidency of Barack Obama.

In Washington, the White House is scrambling to contain SpecterGate (the alleged promising of a job to Congressman Joe Sestak in exchange for dropping his campaign to unseat Sen. Arlen Specter).  Then, just as Sestak and the White House appear to have their stories straight, Andrew Romanoff throws more gasoline onto the fire by confessing admitting disclosing that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina allegedly proffered not one, but three possible positions to Romanoff should he too drop his Senate bid.

Although the White House may still retain some "plausible deniability" on SpecterGate and The Denver Deal, since the parties have all seemingly been able to coordinate their stories (well, Sestak and Romanoff weren't actually offered paying jobs) and there have been no subpoenas issued (yet), the unmistakable odor of burning brush is in the air.

SpecterGate and The Denver Deal may ultimately blow up into raging infernos if the media begins to draw the nexus between the two as a wider pattern of bribery and secret back-room dealings.  However, that would take reporters willing to dig deeper than simply believing a White House explanation broadly issued at 6:25 in the morning via e-mail.  In the end, though, The Denver Deal and SpecterGate may rest on the possible collaboration of the parties, as well as what former President Bill Clinton refers to as "it depends on what 'is' is" and what he did or did not do under White House orders.

Blagojevich, Obama & The SEIU

The one scandal that has the White House positively p*ssing in its pants is the trial of ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich which began last Thursday.

Last December, we mentioned a possible smoking gun as Blagojevich's defense team requested FBI notes from interviews with the Obamas, Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and SEIU bosses Tom Balanoff and Andy Stern.  Now, as the trial gets underway, the White House is bracing for the smoldering embers to drift back its way:

The corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is already shaping up to be a political circus, promising to lay bare the underbelly of Chicago politics.


But while the stakes are clear for Blagojevich — he could be the fourth Illinois governor in 40 years to retire to a federal prison — some of the most powerful Washington insiders are braced for potential political damage from the trial, which begins Thursday.


President Barack Obama, White House aides Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) all have at least some interest in the outcome, according to documents produced by prosecutors, defense lawyers and the White House counsel. [Emphasis added.]

Swirling around in the center of this circus ring-of-fire is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), specifically Chicago SEIU boss Tom Balanoff and former SEIU international president Andy Stern.  In April, SEIU president and king-maker Andy Stern abruptly resigned from the SEIU, which immediately fueled speculation that there was a connection between the Blagojevich scandal and Stern's resignation.

This speculation was further fueled when redacted portions of the defense's subpoena request were revealed just days after Stern's resignation:

Yet, despite President Obama stating that no representatives of his had any part of any deals, labor union president told the FBI and the United States Attorneys that he spoke to labor union official on November 3, 2008 who received a phone message from Obama that evening. After labor union official listened to the message labor union official told labor union president “I’m the one”. Labor union president took that to mean that labor union official was to be the one to deliver the message on behalf of Obama that Senate Candidate B was his pick. (Labor union president 302, February 2, 2009, p. 7).


Labor union official told the FBI and the United States Attorneys “Obama expressed his belief that [Senate Candidate B] would be a good Senator for the people of Illinois and would be a candidate who could win re-election. [Labor union official] advised Obama that [labor union official] would reach out to Governor Blagojevich and advocate for [Senate Candidate B] ... [Labor union official] called [labor union president] and told [labor union president] that Obama was aware that [labor union official] would be reaching out to Blagojevich.” (Labor union official 302, February 3, 2009 p. 3). [Emphasis added.]

Since Stern is now gone and his hand-picked successor Anna Burger was roundly rejected in a purple palace coup, it is unclear whether Burger loyalist Tom Balanoff will be thrown under the purple bus by SEIU's new president, Mary Kay Henry.  If she truly wants to rid the union of some its most recent controversies, Balanoff may be a noteworthy victim of such a purge.  If this happens, Balanoff may hold the key to what really went down in November 2008 and may be willing to spill his guts.

However, as Blago's trial is still in the jury selection stage, there is still plenty of time for all of the parties to get their stories straight (even though some are seemingly contradictory), which would leave Blago with a his word against theirs case.

Unless one of the parties (like Balanoff) flips, turns state's witness, or is caught perjuring him or herself on the stand, it is still possible for the White House to get past the summer with only a little smoke inhalation.

Then again, all it takes is one man to start a forest fire and, right now, there is a lot of smoke billowing out of the White House and different parts of the country and the White House might not be able to contain any one of these.

__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Is the SEIU playing race card in Arkansas run off?

Presumably, President Obama still supports Sen. Blanche Lincoln over her runoff opponent, SEIU-backed Lt. Governor Bill Halter.  However, with Tuesday's Democratic runoff election going down to the wire, it's becoming harder to tell.

Given the close ties between the SEIU and the White House, it's hard to imagine the White House doesn't know that the SEIU is using President Obama's picture alongside Bill Halter's on door hangers in a "predominantly African-American neighborhood in Little Rock."

While the door hanger doesn't state that Obama is endorsing Halter, its implication by using the imagery is that Halter is Obama's choice in the election and, unless the voters in this African-American neighborhood read otherwise, they would be led to believe that Obama wants them to vote for Halter.

This says a lot about not only the SEIU's manipulation of the facts, but also (and most importantly) its attitude about African Americans.

In sum, the SEIU seems to be saying to African-American voters:

We don't think you're smart enough to know that President Obama is backing Blanche Lincoln and we know that if we put a picture of Obama next to Halter, you'll vote for him.

It's astonishing to think that a labor union would stoop to such low Machiavellian and racist depths but, apparently to the SEIU, the ends justify the means.

__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Cross-posted.

SEIU’s Assault on Arizona: Purple-people eaters launches Arizona Travel Advisory Hotline (in ENGLISH ONLY)

As part of its continued campaign of flipping the bird flouting America's immigration laws (including Arizona's new SB 1070), the SEIU launched a new faux-Arizona Travel Advisory Hotline earlier today.

Even though it's part of the SEIU's ongoing campaign of Amnesty for Illegals, it really is sort of a clever waste of money.

If you call the number (888-958-5068), you will hear a woman's voice state the following:

OPERATOR: Thank you for calling the Arizona travel advisory hotline. If you're planning a trip to Arizona, beware of an important travel warning. An overly stringent law on immigration has made it difficult for anyone who looks even remotely suspicious, resulting in detainment. Please check the following options to understand the implications of your actions. And remember to carry your citizenship and immigration papers at all times.

If you plan to wear jeans, press 1. If your skin is even remotely tanned, yellow, brown or blue in hue, press 2. If you tend to eat fast foods, drink bright colored juices or eat fresh vegetables in lieu of meat products, press 3.


If 1: Jeans are worn by many working people targeted by the new Arizona immigration law. Please wear slacks or khakis to avoid appearing suspicious. For more information, please press 4.


If 2: Working people come in many shapes and sizes, but anyone who doesn't resemble a J. Crew or Ralph Lauren model, should be very, very careful. Consider wearing conservative or preppy clothing to avoid getting noticed. For more information, please press 4.


If 3: Many working people targeted by the new immigration Arizona immigration law eat fast foods and drink bright colored juices. Avoid these foods while traveling in Arizona to avoid undue attention from law enforcement officials. For more information, please press4


If 4: To learn more about this Arizona campaign visit www (dot) it stops in Arizona (dot) com. Or press 1 from your cell phone to receive text message updates about Arizona travel warnings, boycotts and other breaking news on immigration reform. SEIU will never charge for these alerts but your carrier's message and data rates may apply.

The only problem with the SEIU's newest assault on Arizona is that it is in English only. There's is no "press one for English, two for Spanish, etc." This makes the SEIU's effort a complete waste of time and money and...worse...seems rather...racist.

[Tsk, tsk! ]
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

RED CROSS HIT BY UNION STRIKES

Although, due to its planned short duration, it appears to be a mere union pressure tactic to get the American Red Cross to cave at the bargaining table, multiple unions have hit the not-for-profit with a three-day strike in six states.

The unions involved include AFSCME, the CWA, OPEIU, and, of course, the SEIU.

Blood collections were suspended Wednesday as 60 union workers joined a broader coalition to initiate a strike against the American Red Cross.

Locals workers sit and stood along Veterans Memorial Boulevard. Some held signs, while one yelled into a megaphone. Each belonged to Service Employees International Union Local 1199.

A union official attributed the work stoppage to disagreements about health insurance, pension and staffing levels. Red Cross declined specific comment, but said its contract proposals are consistent to benefits afforded to its non-union staff.

This is from NBC in Connecticut:

Unionized American Red Cross workers are on strike on Wednesday and there will no blood drives for the day.

About 200 Connecticut Red Cross workers, who are members of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, started a three-day strike at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. It will end at midnight on June 4.

Union officials warned in May of a possible strike and said the Red Cross is taking part in unfair labor practices, including a lack of nurses at blood drives, and skimping on important benefits for employees.

From Buffalo:

Unionized workers for the American Red Cross Blood Services Division in Buffalo are set to go on strike today.

The walkout will involve about 100 area workers who collect, process and distribute blood, said James Wagner, president of Local 1122, Communications Workers of America. Another 60 tele-recruiters who recruit blood donors will not join the strike for fear their work would be moved immediately to Rochester, he said. Wagner had initially said that group would join the strike.

__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Gangland USA: A tutorial on union colors...

Once upon a time, you're at one of your children's softball games and your cell phone rings.  You recognize your home number and you quickly realize it's an emergency call from your teenager whom you left home alone (doing God knows what).

You sense the sheer panic on the other end as you ask what is the matter.  At first you think the house must be on fire, or something worse...

Your teenager exclaims in a rather frightened voice that hundreds of people are on your front lawn demonstrating about something.

Random thoughts quickly enter your mind:  Did I pay the lawn service? Yes, you reassure yourself.

Your teenager stammers that the goons on your front lawn are like a gang of thugs.

"What sort of gang?" you ask, "what do they look like?"

Flashes of Sons of Anarchy pop through your brain.

"I don't know, dad, they're not flashing any gang symbols that I know of...

...but they're all in colored shirts."

Now, if you were the one to get that sort of call, instead of Greg Baer, perhaps it would help you to know in advance some of the colors of the various gangs unions, so that you could identify the goons activists for the police (not that they'd do anything anyway).

The following is a quick tutorial on the colors of some of today's major street thugs unions.

The Purple Behemoth.

The Color Purple is synonymous with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and is probably the most recognizable today.

Green with envy?

Green is the official color of SEIU competitor AFSCME (which stands for the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees)

Seeing Red?

The Communications Workers of America have long been a red union (in a purely colorful form, of course).

Mellow Yellow.

Yellow is all-too-often the color for the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Paint it Black (or whatever color they choose).

Never wanting to be dull, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters prefers black, but is happy in just about any color, as long as it bears two severed horses' heads.

Of course, the identification of marauding mobs of protesters by their shirt colors alone can get confusing if the mob is actually an astroturf organization of community activist like ACORN (red) or the NPA (a color combination).  If, however, you cannot tell whether it is a union or an astroturf organization (it is difficult, you know), just look for the union label.

We hope this short list helps you should you ever have unwelcome trespassers visitors on your front lawn.

__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.”Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Cross-posted.



All Photos: Creative Commons

The SEIU: Safeguarding and taking money from illegals…for years

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...

Give me your union dues and union fees,

I will take them so ever happily...

While this may not rise to the level of harboring a fugitive, since harboring a fugitive refers to "the crime of knowingly hiding a wanted criminal from the authorities," it comes awfully darn close.

SAN FRANCISCO - Federal immigration authorities have pressured one of San Francisco's major building service companies, ABM, into firing hundreds of its own workers. Some 475 janitors have been told that unless they can show legal immigration status, they will lose their jobs in the near future.

ABM has been a union company for decades, and many of the workers have been there for years. "They've been working in the buildings downtown for 15, 20, some as many as 27 years," said Olga Miranda, president of Service Employees Local 87. [Emphasis added.]

Okay, let's stop there for a moment, shall we?

Here is a local SEIU president stating that the unionized company has employed illegal aliens for 15, 20 and as many as 27 years...as her union has collected dues from these workers.

Such is the state of today's unions.  Which begs the following questions:

If you see someone commiting a crime, do you have a duty to call the police...or do you "look the other way?"

If you see someone comitting a crime, do you help the criminal perpetually perpetrate the crime, as well as charge him for your time? Does that make you a criminal or a mere opportunist? If you go out and actively recruit said persons engaging in the illegal activity into your organization, wouldn't that make you a conspirator or your organization a criminal organization?

Now, as unions are going out to recruit workers who are in this country illegally, why is it that no one has questioned Big Labor's complicity in furthering a illegal activity? Doesn't Big Labor have a civic duty to turn in illegal activity? How is it they can get away with taking money from workers who they know are working for a company employing said workers illegally? Aren't they furthering a crime?

How is it that Big Labor gets a get-out-of-jail-free card on this one???

Just curious.
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Dues-sucking unions threaten blood collection at Red Cross

 

Led by the United Food & Commercial Workers, unions including the Teamsters, SEIU, Steelworkers, CWA, and OPEIU, may be striking the Red Cross next week.

Unionized blood-services workers at the American Red Cross' regional offices based in Toledo have notified the agency they could strike June 2 if they do not have a new contract by then.

The strike, which would involve 184 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 75, would be one of seven walkouts being coordinated in several states by different trade unions, all to commence at 9 a.m. that day.

[snip]

However, Mr. Dudley said the UFCW is coordinating its actions with several other unions, including the Teamsters, the Service Employees International Union, the United Steelworkers, the Communications Workers of America, and the Office and Professional Employees International - representing about 1,000 workers total at Red Cross blood services offices in Michigan, California, Connecticut, Georgia, New York, and West Virginia. None of the unions reached new contracts, Mr. Dudley said.

The Red Cross has a contingency plan in the event the unions strike.


__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

The SEIU, the NPA & Organized, Premeditated Intimidation

It wasn't a secret.  They were planning it for weeks.  Their plans were to protest and protest they did.

They even brag about it on their website:

A little rain didn't stop thousands of people from gathering on K Street to call out the big bank lobbyists corrupting our democracy.

After two days of confronting the bank lobbyists with National People's Action, we were joined by our brothers and sisters from the AFL-CIO, Jobs with Justice, MoveOn, and hundreds of supporters from around the country.

However, before astroturfing K street on Monday, they decided to trespass onto the private residential property of two of their targets, one of which happened to be a neighbor of Fortune's Nina Easton.  Perhaps they did not know she would write about their trespassing this way:

Every journalist loves a peaceful protest-whether it makes news, shakes up a political season, or holds out the possibility of altering history. Then there are the ones that show up on your curb--literally.

Last Sunday, on a peaceful, sun-crisp afternoon, our toddler finally napping upstairs, my front yard exploded with 500 screaming, placard-waving strangers on a mission to intimidate my neighbor, Greg Baer. Baer is deputy general counsel for corporate law at Bank of America (BAC,Fortune 500), a senior executive based in Washington, D.C. And that -- in the minds of the organizers at the politically influential Service Employees International Union and a Chicago outfit called National Political Action -- makes his family fair game.

Waving signs denouncing bank "greed," hordes of invaders poured out of 14 school buses, up Baer's steps, and onto his front porch. As bullhorns rattled with stories of debtor calls and foreclosed homes, Baer's teenage son Jack -- alone in the house -- locked himself in the bathroom. "When are they going to leave?" Jack pleaded when I called to check on him.

Baer, on his way home from a Little League game, parked his car around the corner, called the police, and made a quick calculation to leave his younger son behind while he tried to rescue his increasingly distressed teen. He made his way through a din of barked demands and insults from the activists who proudly "outed" him, and slipped through his front door.

"Excuse me," Baer told his accusers, "I need to get into the house. I have a child who is alone in there and frightened."

Now this event would accurately be called a "protest" if it were taking place at, say, a bank or the U.S. Capitol. But when hundreds of loud and angry strangers are descending on your family, your children, and your home, a more apt description of this assemblage would be "mob." Intimidation was the whole point of this exercise, and it worked-even on the police. A trio of officers who belatedly answered our calls confessed a fear that arrests might "incite" these trespassers.

[snip]

In the business community, though, SEIU has a reputation for strong-arm tactics against management, prompting some companies to file suit.

Now those strong-arm tactics, stirred by supposedly free-floating (as opposed to organized) populist rage, have come to the neighborhood curb. Last year it was AIG executives -- with protestors met by security guard outside. Now it's any executive -- and they're on the front stoop. After Baer's house, the 14 buses left to descend on the nearby residence of Peter Scher, a government relations executive at JPMorgan Chase.

Targeting homes and families seems to put SEIU in the ranks of (now jailed) radical animal-rights activists and the Kansas anti-gay fundamentalists harassing the grieving parents of a dead 20-year-old soldier at his funeral (the Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on the latter). But that's not a conversation that SEIU officials want to have.

No, they would rather not have a conversation about their intrusion onto another person's property, nor do they consider intimidating family members immoral or unlawful.

And, they have no remorse whatsoever.

More than 1,000 visited two bankers at their homes Sunday afternoon to ask for meetings with Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase.

When mobs trespass onto the private residential property of a private citizen and intimidate their children, and the police refuse to take action, no one should act surprised if a citizen acts to defend his property and his family from the lawless hordes...but, perhaps, that may be what the SEIU, the NPA, and their ilk want.



__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Arizona Electrifying Response to the Left's Boycotts-R-Us Campaign

Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything. 

Wyatt Earp

With the SEIU, the UFCW and the AFL-CIO up in arms over Arizona's new immigration law (which enforces already-existing law), Obama administration officials Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano have admitted they haven't actually read the law, despite their condemnation.

Meanwhile, the City of Los Angeles has opted to boycott the State of Arizona.  According to union-backed Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:

Boycotts work. We saw this in the early 1990s, when people last boycotted Arizona for the state's refusal to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: people canceled their vacations to Scottsdale and the Grand Canyon; conventions were moved from Phoenix to Los Angeles, and the NFL moved SuperBowl XXVII from Tempe to Pasadena.

In response to L.A.'s arrogant attempt to economically blackmail the Grand Canyon state, Arizona's Corporation Commissioner gave the L.A. mayor a message:  Two can play that game.

In a letter [see below] to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce said a boycott war is bad for both sides, and said he would "be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements" to end the electricity flowing to Los Angeles.

"I am confident that Arizona's utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands," Mr. Pierce said. "If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona's economy."

We'll have to wait and see who blinks first...Arizona or Los Angeles (and its lights).

Response to the LA Boycott by AZ Corp Commissioner
__________________
“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.