Viewpoint: SEIU Staff Fight for Their Union

I have been involved in the labor movement for over thirty years, across varied industries, working from the front lines to the executive offices of some mighty fine unions.

I was offered a job with SEIU and was told that work life balance was important to them to attract and retain talent. I took a cut in pay, but could afford to do so and wanted to work in the field again.

I cannot believe the hypocrisy that I witness daily. The unbelievable hours, the lame reasons for the low pay and long hours, the unrealistic goals, the constant threat of job loss, the patronizing forced discussions, the lack of any honor, the non reality of any respect for seniority, and a propaganda machine that is so well oiled as to border on insanity,

I have believed in the "movement" for my entire working life and I always had a contract to assure that we had what we fight so hard for our members to have. The most basic of those being good pay, respect in the workplace and decent work hours that allow us to pay more than lip-service to the concept that "family comes first!"

I have paid dues since entering SEIU employ but have never had the protections of a contract. A group of experienced hard working staff members decided it was time to change that. The push back was unbelievable. You have never seen such a boss campaign in your life. Complete disregard for EFCA ! Hypocrites! These bastards used every trick in the book and could teach some of the worst bosses out there how to most successfully subvert a union.

They of course will claim that a "majority" of staff were not interested, and I guess when you count all of the supervisors, managers and directors that weighed in, that could be true. And don't forget the folks that didn't even work for us that got to cast their vote. The maintenance crew from across the street :-), (sarcasm, but just barely) who was invited to sit in, and any other warm body who would spew the crap that they were told to spew and vote the way that they were told to vote. What a circus and what a riot.

Strap yourself onto the intravenous purple kool aid machine where you will learn that the "movement" truly requires this sacrifice from it's staff or the movement will collapse!!!!!!! The sky will fall! the conservatives will take over, yada yada yada.

What utter hogwash! if Stern and this type of tolerated behavior is the direction of the labor movement today...I'm OUT!

In this economy SEIU has laid off more staff representatives than the hospitals that employ the workers, in which the staff representatives worked hard for each and every day. In the 9 months I spent with SEIU as a staff representative 4 staff reps including myself did not pass extended probations or had to get out of SEIU, because we were expected to work 60 hours a week. Our Staff Director was one that was a micro managing freak and made all of our lives miserable. Members wanted the staff director terminated and to no avail she has remained in her position. In her 6 year term with SEIU she has had a 72% turn over of staff reps. No wonder management did not take SEIU seriously.

I am a Steward of SEIU local 347 which was trusteed in 2008 and was merged into Local 721. Because of the 2007 mergers in California, we noticed that many experienced and senior staff were fired, abruptly and unceremoniously. News about this was not forthcoming to the rank and file. It soon because obvious that staff who did not "get with the program" were no longer around. They've now done away with "field business reps" and replaced them with "worksite organizers" who rarely visit the worksites. Now they have a Member Resource Center that handles the members calls for representation and the local is more dependent on stewards for actual representation. When the stewards need help, theyre just not getting it. The focus now seems to be on political representation, rather than worksite representation. This has resulted in the employer becoming more aggressive against the employees, and the stewards with dwindling influence and resources to help the employees enforce the contract, and uphold hard-fought-for rights and advances.
To now read that there are gong to be further reductions in knowledgeable and experienced staff is very alarming. Something about what is going on in SEIU, smacks of "The fall of Rome".

I worked for the International 1992-1997 in DC, KY, CA, CT, PA, Nevada, and Boston. Sweeney was president when I was first there, then Stern, Woodruff etc came in. Many organizers thought it would be great.... then they tried breaking UÜR, first by getting rid of the great health & safety organizers, I think that job was completely eliminated. Then they tried 2 tier wages, layoffs, using local staff....as they are trying now.

SEIU is known by some at a local NLRB office as one of the worst employers they've seen, ruthless against ULPs because of the cult mentality -- "you shouldn't have rights, you should sacrifice for the 'real' workers." It's so patronizing! (Because the leadership isn't from the working class, they think most organizers aren't either.)

Stay Strong, UUR ! Some day Stern et al. will be gone but our unions will remain -- both SEIU *members* AND UUR !

In the late 80's I worked for an SEIU local (now forced to merge with another local 600 miles away) and my pay was horrid. I worked long hours and was under constant threat of being "laid-off" if unrealistic targets weren't met.

The workers (14 of us in total) finally tired of being exploited and mistreated organized. We contacted the OPEIU (which represented union staff back then) & got a total of 13 cards signed. When the OPEIU staff contacted the head of the SEIU she went ballistic and threatened to fire me for organizing the union's workers. I decided it was time to get another job and did.

While I am still a committed unionist (member of a non-bargaining AFT local, AAUP & the IWW) I have no love for Stern & his regime.

I knew several of the UUR members & stand in solidarity with them.