Union Democracy

  • Reform Caucus Jolts Chicago Teachers Union
    Kenzo Shibata
    Jan 29 2010 - 12:37pm

    Four hundred education activists joined the Caucus of Rank and File Educators in January to map strategy for battling the next round of school closures in Chicago. CORE's also vying for control of the Chicago Teachers Union this spring.

  • Sick of Scandals, Locomotive Engineers Fight for Right to Elect Officers
    Ed Michael
    Jan 22 2010 - 10:11am
    ** Print only

    Rank-and-file members of the Locomotive Engineers are struggling to maintain their recently won and never exercised right to directly elect officers. The importance of one member, one vote elections, opposed by national union officers, is only too obvious after three top officers in four years have been removed for embezzlement or extortion. . . .

  • Finally, NUHW Squares Off Against SEIU in Two Hospital Elections
    Mark Brenner
    Dec 16 2009 - 3:01pm

    Nearly eleven months of courtroom stalling has slowed the upstart NUHW but a break in the legal logjam may be coming—finally giving California’s health care workers the ability to choose their union.

  • SEIU Trustees Collude to Remove Stewards
    Lisa Tomasian
    Jun 23 2009 - 12:00pm

    We’ve gone from democracy to hypocrisy in California. Prior to February at Kaiser Santa Clara Medical Center we had labor unity. The 2,400-plus members understood the importance of union solidarity. All shop stewards were elected by the rank and file. Since that time, when our local, United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW), was put under trusteeship by the Service Employees International (SEIU), our 60-plus shop steward council is down to just a handful.