Will Andy Stern Repudiate Violence In the Union Hall?

Hundreds of Service Employee International Union (SEIU) staff and members stormed a progressive union gathering in Dearborn, Michigan this Saturday -- dispensing injuries, bruises and split heads to conference-goers at a Labor Notes magazine strategy session. Today AFL-CIO President John Sweeney spoke out against the violence and called upon SEIU president Andy Stern to repudiate it too.

 

Stern's at the center of the controversy (in part recently covered by The New Republic and by the SF Weekly)  because he seeks to crush resistance to his ideas in all corners of the labor movement.  He has led SEIU into dangerous agreements with nursing home owners that seek to keep elder abuse quiet and prevent liablity for it. He's pioneered similar "partnerships" with Kaiser to keep caregivers from speaking out about problems inside the HMO. His brand of unionism is geared toward building membership numbers by giving employers what they want: sheep who listen to, not agitate against, the HMO bosses, nursing home owners and other corporate shepherds. 

Stern's corporate unionism is tearing his union, SEIU, apart as West Coast dissent United Health Care Workers leader Sal Roselli, targeted by Stern for standing up to Arnold Schwarzenegger's bogus mandatory health insurance purchase plan, now leads a counter-revolution to democratize SEIU.  The showdown in Puerto Rico in June will be a true David vs. Goliath story. 

Why the violence in Dearborn? California Nurses Association leader Rose Ann DeMoro, a close ally and dear friend of Consumer Watchog, was slated to speak at the Labor Notes conference. She's talked on Stern on 60 Minutes and recently foiled a sweetheart deal between SEIU and an Ohio hospital. (Her aggressive brand of unionism recently led to the first unionization of a private hospital in Texas.) So the purple shirted SEIUers marched on about 1,000 progressive unionists even though they knew, according to Labor Notes leader Chris Kutalik, that DeMoro had cancelled the speech.  These photos tell the story. Here's Labor Notes written account:

SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION ATTACKS LABOR GATHERING CONFERENCE-GOERS ASSAULTED

Dearborn, MI—The Service Employees International Union turned their dispute with the California Nurses Association violent by attacking a labor conference April 12, injuring several and sending an American Axle striker to the hospital.

A recently retired member of United Auto Workers Local 235, Dianne Feeley, suffered a head wound after being knocked to the ground by SEIU International staff and local members. Other conference-goers—members of the Teamsters, UAW, UNITE HERE, International Longshoremen’s Association, and SEIU itself—were punched, kicked, shoved, and pushed to the floor.

Dearborn police responded and evicted the three bus loads of SEIU International staff and members of local and regional health care unions.

No arrests were made.

The assault took place at the Labor Notes conference, a biennial gathering of 1,100 union members and leaders who met to discuss strategies to rebuild the labor movement.

David Cohen, an international representative of the United Electrical Workers, asked protestors why they came. He said one responded, “they told us just to get on the bus.”

The protestors included several members with young children, who had to be ushered away when SEIU tried to force their way into the conference banquet hall. Protesters were targeting Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the AFL-CIO-affiliated CNA. DeMoro was scheduled to speak but declined to appear after threats were made against her union’s leadership.

Despite being welcomed to the conference earlier in the day—and given space to debate supporters of the CNA and the National Nurses Organizing Committee about neutrality organizing agreements—SEIU international and regional staff shouted down speakers at workshops and panels throughout the event.

“Labor Notes has always been a space for open debate, but when a union decides to engage in violence against their brothers and sisters, we draw a line,” said Mark Brenner, director of Labor Notes. “Violence within the labor movement is unacceptable and we call on the national leadership of SEIU, including President Andy Stern, to repudiate it.”

 The California Nurses also report that board members have been harrassed at their homes by SEIU members sent to California to disrupt the nurses association operations.

 It's time for Andy Stern to take a stern stand against these heavy handed tactics. Stern needs a little more collaboration with his brothers and sisters in the labor movement across America and little less coordination with his partners in corporate Amerrica. 

 

 

Comments

[normaa]

It is particularly troubling that President John Sweeney has only now issued a statement about the growing tension between CNA and SEIU. While Sweeney is quick to accuse the SEIU of wrongdoing at the recent Labor Notes conference, where was his public statement condemning the grotesque behavior of CNA in Ohio? Unlike the Labor Notes gathering where the facts remain highly disputed, CNA actions in Ohio are without disagreement or debate. There is no question that their union-busting actions prevented as many of 8,000 nurses and other healthcare workers from getting a voice on job! That remains the true injustice and has yet to prompt a public condemnation from President Sweeney and the AFL-CIO. It is ridiculous to suggest that the CNA leadership and their gangs are the victims in this battle. If an apology is due, it must come from Rose Ann DeMoro and the CNA to the thousands of workers that have been silenced by these repulsive union-busting campaigns.

-- Norma Amsterdam, RN, Executive Vice President, UHE/1199NY, RN Division

[RN4MERCY]

Aw, c'mon Norma. CHP employers filed for the election AND cancelled the election. So, it appears to me that your assertion is incorrect.
NNOC-Ohio members distributed literature, and talked with their colleagues about the dangers to patients and the restrictions on RN's ability to advocate under SEIU's partnership scheme with the employer. I call that an example of pure advocacy for our practice and our profession at it's finest hour. Ohio RNs and the other CHP workers have prevented the employer from choosing their union for them.
What's preventing SEIU from filing on behalf of the workers? No support? Blaming CNA/NNOC for your lack of it is disingenous and offensive. SEIU's ill-conceived and grotesque attack on workers in attendance at the Labor Notes conference is reprehensible; the mud you've been throwing is all over you.

[suescannon]

Since when is one nurse talking to another nurse about their union 'union busting.' This inflammatory allegation is just plain wrong.

[RN4MERCY]

Yeah, you're right. Isn't that called freedom of assembly and freedom of association?

[SMARTmembersSEIU]

To all SEIU Members:

Tell the International SEIU that violence will not be tolerated within the labor movement!

Sign on to our letter denouncing the violence initiated by some in SEIU against participants at the Labor Notes Conference (including other SEIU members).

Sign the petition here.

Please forward the petition to as many other SEIU members as possible and ask them to sign it!

We must stand up and tell the International that violence and chilling of free speech within the labor movement will not be tolerated by the membership who's resources were used for this shameful attack on rank and file union leaders.

In Solidarity,

Brian Cruz
City College of San Francisco
SEIU 2008 International Convention Delegate
SEIU Local 1021

Joe Iosbaker
Chief Steward, University of Illinois " Chicago (UIC)
Executive Board Member
SEIU Local 73

Helen York-Jones
Chief Steward, CPMC Medical Center
SEIU 2008 International Convention Delegate
SEIU UHW-West Executive Board Vice-President
(Boycotted the fundraising banquet portion of the conference to protest CNA"s actions in Ohio and Nevada)

Zev Kvitky
President and Executive Director, SEIU Local 2007
Higher Education Workers-CA
SEIU California State Council

Maya Morris
Steward, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, CHW
SEIU 2008 International Convention Delegate
SEIU UHW-West Executive Board Vice-President
(Boycotted the fundraising banquet portion of the conference to protest CNA"s actions in Ohio and Nevada)

Randy Evans
Steward, University of Illinois - Chicago (UIC) Medical Center
SEIU Local 73

[SMARTmembersSEIU]

Sorry about that.

The link to sign the petition is:

http://www.petitiononline.com/novlseiu/petition.html

[neonatalmichael]

Thank you very much for posting this article. I was beginning to wonder if anyone at The Huffington Post had the guts to personally direct any commentary towards Andy Stern. Unfortunately I don't think Mr. Stern has time to condem the violent actions of his staff at the Labor Notes conference because he is too busy attempting to crush member resistance to his Oligarchy.

I appreciate your comments about the dissent being "lead" by Mr. Rosselli, but truth be told it was the dues paying members of his Executive Board that issued the war cry. Dissent had been growing for some 3 years. Mr. Rosselli was carrying out the directives of the members. Pretty rare in this era of corporate unionism within the SEIU.

[Bluedog12]

KUDOS!! By the way call the "corporate unionism" what it is. A pogrom. "Solidarity" as long as your with the SEIU hey Andy? Go California Nurses!!

[neonatalmichael]

Pogrom it is!!!!!

[KMan1]

This is a damn shame. When are people going to stop just taking orders and start thinking? Union members attacking union members, what is wrong with this picture? That big bully in the picture and the rest of those mindless sheep should be ashamed.

[RN4MERCY]

And, as if the SEIU bullying and bashing in Michigan at the Labor Notes conference wasn't bad enough...
Nurses Obtain TRO against Andy Stern, SEIU
"On the heels of a series of incidents in California where female nurses have been followed and harassed by mostly male SEIU staffers, and in the wake of SEIU"s violent attack on the peaceful Labor Notes conference, a California Superior Court has issued a temporary restraining order against Andy Stern, President of SEIU, and his staff, ordering them to stay away from nurses with the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.
Stern will appear in court on May 1st for a hearing on whether to issue a permanent restraining order.SEIU claims its actions are in retaliation for a disputed election in Ohio where Catholic Healthcare Partners filed for an election to choose SEIU as their company union.
SEIU"s recent actions makes clear why RNs around the country do not have a good opinion of their organization."
The story is in the LA Times:
California nurses union gets restraining order against SEIU - Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nurses17apr17,1,1579801.story

[vlebje]

This "little" story will soon be discovered to be one of the biggest movements of the modern era: corporate "unionism." By that I mean that corporations will use the very same tactics that they have used in Central and South American countries to attempt to quell the nascent labor movement that is growing across the world. The Economic Hit Men see the handwriting on the wall, and want to invest billions to destroy the unions just as their wicked ancestor Ronald Reagan did back in the 1980s.

I am afraid that this will pass with little or no comment or attention, though it is the early clear evidence of the jackals that business is willing to use to harm and, yes, kill union workers. Corporations have been doing this in Colombia, Panama and Equador for decades, not to mention Iraq and Saudia Arabia. There is an ominous cloud on the horizon, in my opinion, and this incident is but the early precursor to violent conflict between corporations and labor.

[Bluedog12]

Why won't the SEIU crash a afl-cio building trades event? Is it because these purple shirt wearing prefer tangling with women?

[Organize1199]

Oh my god, the California Nurses are so dishonest. But if you know the context, the photos tell the truth. Here is what the big guy in the picture was doing:

www.openleft.com/showComment.do?commentId=58274

The man's name is Frank Hornick, and in the photo sequence he was rescuing a young woman named Rachael Holland who was lying on the ground, and being choked by a CNA thug. The California Nurses had the gall to post her picture too, just as she was being attacked. Both are from SEIU/1199, out supporting CHP caregivers denied a union by the keynote speaker.

Donna Steele, a great-grandmother, was punched in the face by another CNA man who rushed to attack the protesters. An SEIU member's child was thrown to the ground by the CNA/Labor Notes mob.

I was stunned at the violence committed by CNA supporters. We came in a peaceful protest, with women, children and many elderly members.

They beat a young woman and a great-grandmother who were marching in solidarity with 8,000 CHP workers whose organizing efforts were smashed by Rose Ann Demoro, the keynote speaker at the Labor Notes conference. It's horrific.

I am calling on CNA and Labor Notes to produce all footage or photos from the event so we can try to identify the attackers.

http:///www.springfieldnewssun.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2008/03/13/sns031308editunion_R.html

[RobertArend]

Andy Stern is the Pied Piper of the American Labor Movement. He's the brown-nosing guy everybody knows in a unionized shop, only he bullied his way to the top of the SEIU union and knifed the House of Labor in the back when the AFL-CIO would not make him king.

In my neck of the woods, SEIU members are often denied the grievance procedure that their contract and dues pays for by, not the employer, but by SEIU. These thugs have threatened and terrorized any dissenters within the ranks. They are more like the long ago union bosses or the Russian Mob than anything close to what a good union should be.

And what once was a good union demonstrates again that one bad choice of leadership can stink up the whole organization. Having read his book, a more appropriate title would have been: "Corporations Are People, Too: How To Surrender Your Healthcare, Pensions & Retirement And Be A Better Worker" by Andy Stern.

[PioneerKing]

Who will speak out Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton?

RALPH NADER 2008