There is a real and important debate being held in both the labor movement and in our country right now about how to best serve workers' interests.
We believe it is both healthy and a sign of a vibrant democracy for people to stand up -- in both their union and their country -- and voice their own opinions. We are at a moment of enormous opportunity for working people in the United States. Americans have broad recognition of economic disparity and injustice, and we in SEIU have the hope of Barack Obama's candidacy. It's a more potent combination for social change than we've seen in a generation.
With opportunity, though, comes incredible pressure to succeed. As many of you know, SEIU has been challenged recently by both the left and the right. "Hit" websites, lawsuits, personal attacks, Wall Street Journal editorials, and protests and counter-protests where emotions have -- understandably -- run high.
But conflict always gets disproportionate attention. It's much easier to report on differences, especially when things get heated, than to look beyond the headlines and ask what fuels those differences.
One thing is clear: the stakes are too high for workers for us to get sidetracked by personal differences and disagreements.
SEIU is fully engaged in trying to determine the best course of action to improve workers' lives, and this is the debate that we want -- and should be having. How can we as a movement transform the way this economy works and restore the American Dream for all working people?
Today wealth and power are more concentrated than ever in the hands of a few companies and a few CEOs. There are 47 million people living without health insurance, wages have been flat for more than 6 years, and a staggering majority of the country (81%) thinks things are going in the wrong direction.
There is a question facing America today: Will this country stand behind the 99% of Americans whose work to build better lives for their families has made this country great, or will it permit that 1% who have done well to enrich themselves at the expense of us all?
SEIU is answering that question. We have been trying to hold accountable six of the 10 largest employers in the world to make sure their workers share in their success. We have challenged everyone from presidential candidates to Congress to business leaders to the insurance industry to join us to make sure healthcare reform gets done. We are working with janitors, security officers, homecare workers and others who work hard for little recognition to help transform communities. We launched the largest movement to improve the lives of African American workers since the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and we are working to make sure all workers have the freedom to have a voice on the job. We are the largest advocacy organization in the country and we are doing everything we can -- knocking on doors, making phone calls, mailing and emailing, getting out the vote (GOTV) and airing ads -- to contribute the effort to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.
Next month, SEIU will head to Puerto Rico for our 2008 Convention, where SEIU members will make historic decisions that will have a major impact on our families, our communities, and all working people. Decisions like guaranteeing that every man, woman and child in this country has quality and affordable healthcare. Decisions like holding our politicians accountable after they get elected. Decisions like the very role of organized workers in political and economic arenas.
We call this our Justice for All strategy. No longer can we settle for a "just us" or "I got mine" approach. If we are doing well in California, then we need to use that strength to make workers stronger in Georgia. If almost 90 percent of workers have no union, those who are united must work to grow those ranks. If we want standards, we must have the strength in numbers to deliver them. In our global economy, we must stand together for all, or we will be run down one by one.
Make no mistake about it: SEIU is proposing new and far-reaching reforms that are paradigm shifting for a labor union. They are a threat to entrenched power and individual interests. They make clear that the status quo is no longer an option.
And as you might imagine, when you challenge people to think about the world in a new way, you meet some resistance.
SEIU members and our allies have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With broad public agreement that our society is out of balance between people that work and people with wealth, and with the election this year of a new US President and a new Congress, we have a realistic chance to win:
At our convention next month, SEIU members will decide the future direction of our union. We will argue and debate, we will challenge each other's ideas, and there will be proposals and counter-proposals. But ultimately, we will vote democratically and make the hard choices about how we can help build a world that is more fair and just. This November, our country will make similar and even more critical choices.
For those of you who share our concern for the welfare of working people all over the world, our moment has arrived.
Andy Stern is the president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
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WOW! I see a lot of good here! God Bless Barack.
Interesting that the MSM was quite content to go with the snipets of Rev. Wright's comments, aired over and over and never bothered to interview Rev. Wright. Finally, on Bill Moyers Journal, things are made clear. As I suspected, Sen. Obama went to that church to gain access into the community that he wanted to help. This church is as much of a social service agency as it is a church. The church has been helping poor blacks, elderly and hungry for many years and it has attempted to offer blacks an alternative to a life of crime and drugs. What a terrible, terroristic thing to do, right? Further, Wright was quoting a white commentator in the snipet and the snipet was attributed to him. Thirdly, the quote refers to the episodes of injustice which are quite well known of in this country and as a pastor, the Reverend was pointing out that the bottom line of our allegiance should be to Christianity, not to the government. The government, in his eyes, is not always on the side of right and as a Christian, he wants people to hold the government accountable for its actions. Again, does this sound terroristic? In sum, he wants to help people make better choices and have better choices to make. He has not taken to the streets with guns, rather he has sought to help bring street people into the church. Sounds like someone we should be respecting and helping to me.
The sermons in full were not that "crazy". The snippets were. As a white preacher who knows both the Reverend and Minister Farrakhan noted, the media tends to take snippets of people and use them as caricatures. They would take snippets of Jesus and make him look like a crazy person.
The Reverend spoke of the objective of the communication by the mass media. The MSM know what they wanted to communicate. They succeeded.
Andy Stern does not speak for the membership of the union. He speaks for himself and how much money he is going to put in his pocket.
America has already rejected the Clintons' bid for a third term in the White House. Why, you would think, did the founding fathers put a limit to the number of terms a president may serve? ...because they understood the implications of power addiction. Now, you may want to argue that it's not Bill who is running, but Hillary; yet, Bill and Hillary are married and are considered one in the eyes of God and should, also, in the eyes of State, if not for anything, for the very fact that they seem to be behaving in this campaign like an addict...as if there were no tomorrow, and would do anything to win this nomination even if it kills our Party, hence damns to hell our only hope for real change. Let's get sensible"let"s not let sentiments stop us now!
In fact, if you read books about The Clintons, you will see that they are one and the same. Hillary was the unelected "closer" of everything Bill did. She even made decisions over experts' opinions, that was why her new health care initiative failed. Of course, this is a third term for the Clintons. No doubt about it. They planned for her presidency since their first year in the WH. They lied, they cheated, they covered up, they intimidated, they spins their way through Whitewater, Flowere, Jones-Lewinsky, ... It is incredible that such characters are allowed to run for presidency in this democratic country.
As an elected leader at United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW-W), Brother Stern"s post doesn"t reflect the debate my local is having with his leadership team wherein, the REAL issues of FORCED centralization of all Local affairs and limiting member involvement across the board.
Our concern (UHW-W) is that the centralized decision making structure (though unacknowledged) is the real trend at SEIU International, threatens workers' input into their locals and to our employer in ways that weaken us. It cannot be a durable strategy to address the very real problem of declining union growth.
That is why our Platform for Change (for details visit, http://www.seiuvoice.org/2008/02/united-healthcare-workers-platform-for.html), is based on ensuring that workers remain central to our own struggle.
To many workers like me, our local union represents the last remaining link to the fading American dream. My local, UHW-W, is the way healthcare workers fight giants like Tenet Healthcare Corporation and try to make our dreams a reality. Trying to sell the union to employers by harnessing workers' to employers' agendas and setting long term limits on our voices, standards, and scope of action in collective bargaining, is the fastest way to alienate workers and discredit unions in general(Can you say "sell-out!!!.")
Justice for All may look good on paper, but the recent SEIU record shows union standards sacrificed in an effort in consolidating power into the hands of a few top leaders in DC.
I agree, Brother Andy is side stepping the huge internal struggle in SEIU for workers to retain their rights to be a part of the collective bargaining process, to elect their own officers, and just have a voice in the way the local union is run. Brother Andy wants centralized control of this giant union and is willing to sacrifice work place rights to achieve it.
My own local 1107 in Las Vegas had a corrupted officer election (four preliminary findings of violations the Landrum-Griffin Act by a Dept of Labor investigation) to maintain the power of our paid Executive Director and the Andy Stern agenda.
But SEIU rank and file members, especially on the west coast, are seeing through the return to company unions being pushed by SEIU Internation under Stern.
well said. seiu rode into denver on the backs of janitorial workers pitching their "jobs for justice". i don't argue that a truly effective union can and does good for its rank and file, i can't say how much better off these workers are today. however, i can remark on the abysmal representation seiu has provided mental health workers in denver. as tayd has stated "Trying to sell the union to employers by harnessing workers' to employers' agendas...scope of action in collective bargaining...." is precisely the tactics seiu chooses in order to maintain it's status as a "relevant" player. they talk a good game but when it comes to getting the job done, the workers are no better off than before. being a union shop (i no longer work there), many people believe seiu takes money for nothing.
i've visited seiuvoice and have come to understand and appreciate the fight waged against stern and his union cronies. just because you say you're a union doesn't mean much if it sells out the workers. the anti-union perhaps? stern merely reminds me of someone who wanted to be something and didn't care how he got there; just another punk amidst a bunch of other punks allowed to have a voice carrying no substance at all.
One day all the naysayers and doubters will have to eat crow! OBAMA is the BEST for this country.
Oh by the way ORGANIZE1199. The whole tone of this article would be really laughable if the many offenses and corruptions of Stern weren't so serious. Of course Stern wants a Kum-ba-yah, convention with 'healing' for all sides because he may finally realize just how much DEEP DOO-DOO HE IS REALLY IN.
He is under investigation by the Dept of Labor for Activities in Nevada, accused of taking money from his members AND the employers AND then RUNNING HIS OWN SLATE OF CANDIDATES. in an election. But, to TOP IT OFF, HE ALSO TOOK THE FUNDS FROM DISTRICT 1199 IN OHIO, TENN, KY. This is Sterns idea of Union Democracy in action. Here is an article from the Las-Vegas Sun
http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/in-the-news/2008/april/labor-law-broken-during-seiu-election-report-says.html
Did you know about this, ORGANIZE1199???????
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Merg is from the CNA. The CNA likes to accuse SEIU of things without regard for honesty. Sometimes they make things up. At other times they repeat unfounded accusations against us.
Recently they used a RICO suit filed against SEIU by the ill-reputed union of a racketeer named Bennie the Bug (AIU) as "evidence" against SEIU. They cite a Trotskyite rag as an "independent source." In their own statements, they "translate" two middle aged women into "5 male staffers" and call a group of mostly-female caregivers protesting the CNA for busting the union, "two busses of burly males." In both cases there was video footage - but the CNA just keeps telling it like it ain't!
My belief is the union will be totally cleared in the Nevada matter but in a 2-million-strong union with lots of locals there are bound to be some administrative errors from time to time. Recently, for example, UHW (the large local union opposing Stern on the grounds of needing more union democracy) only allowed 5% of members to run to be delegates to the convention. That kind of disenfranchisement is not allowed in SEIU, and my understanding is that UHW is re-running their elections. Mistakes happen in a big union; it doesn't mean UHW is corrupt.
It is indeed the moment for change. However, we should be careful of what change Mr. Stern is proposing.
First, let me make it clear that I am an Obama supporter and very much appreciate the contributions of the SEIU members helping to nominate Barack Obama. "Fired up and ready to go!"
My problem is with Mr. Stern. Despite his rhetoric, the platform he is proposing in Puerto Rico and his tactics in achieving victory are anything but democratic. Mr. Stern's proposal is to seize control of the Union from its members and consolidate it in the hands of the International. If given his way, local presidents will be appointed from Washington, not elected by the members; reps and stewards will be replaced with 1-800 numbers; and the members' voices replaced with loyalty oaths. Indeed, its already begun. To learn more visit: http://www.seiuvoice.org/
To assure himself of victory, Mr. Stern has launched a preemptive strike against his critics, threatening trusteeship of one of the most successful locals. SEIU UHW has organized more workers this year than the International and all other locals combined, and the contracts they negotiate for their members are the envy of the other locals. But, they have publicly opposed Mr. Stern and have thus been targeted for elimination.
This isn't democracy, it's a power grab.
I'm in agreement with you FJRinLA. The Clintons are bordering on psychosis. Their systematic manipulation of the tired and huddled masses is extraordinary. They are both willing to destroy both the Democratic party and America to satisfy their lust for power.
The CLINTON INSURGENCY MARCHES ON
The Clinton Insurgency will continue on no matter what party leaders say or do. She stopped running for President in '08 sometime between Super Tuesday and Mini-Super Tuesday when the "Campaign To Elect Hillary" morphed into the "Campaign To Defeat Obama" at all costs.
So we loyal DEMS have to recognize that and behave accordingly.
The Clinton Insurgency will just move to the Senate if she fails in denying Obama the Presidency.
There, she'll caucus with Sens. McCain, Lieberman, and the rest of the REPS to keep blocking Progressive legislation and help create a failed Obama Presidency.
Of course, she's still got a great chance to avoid that by bringing to pass her preferred self-fulfilling prophecy of a failed Obama General Election campaign that produces a McCain Administration.
If The Clintons can pull that off, then they'd gladly take the heat while slowly trying to spin themselves back into DEM good graces.
So please stay informed and aware. Based upon The Clintons' words and deeds that we are all currently witnessing, there is absolutely no reason for any of us to be caught off guard or not prepared for their continued assault against Obama and any type of "Change You Can Believe In".
The Clintons are desperate to remain "titular heads" of the DEM Party, even if it means dooming us, the country, and the entire world to another four years of wandering in the wilderness during a McCain or Cheney-Lite Administration.
I fail to see how Obama is better than Clinton when he lies about universal health care. His own web site and plans are NOT that at all. I am supporting Clinton because I know as Elizabeth Edwards KNOWS that her plan is the most realistic, and universal. It is dishonest for him to say in his speeches he is in favor of universal health care, yet says the opposite when you look at his plans. THAT IS NOT CHANGE, THAT is McCAIN LITE!
Obama touted the Bush energy bill as being a GOOD thing, and he just wants to tax the oil companies a bit more. Clinton wants to bring the price of oil down, and she knows the only means to do it is to dump massive amounts of oil from the SPR onto the market. That will CRASH the price of oil. Do you like the high oil prices? Obama does since he refuses to ask Bush to do what the SPR was designed to do. One of the reasons for it was to combat such speculation as we have now. THAT is NOT CHANGE!
Is it not strange to hear commentary from someone who was never elected to their position as president? who gained a healthy and strong union from John Sweeney and down the road when there were disagreements over organizing and how per cap sd. be spent, and did not have the votes to elected someone they wanted for the AFL-CIO president, SEIU and the rest of the "change to win" coalition disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO?
Did members get to vote on this decision? Or as I recall you have made it clear that Members voting on leadership and contracts is not as importent as whatever you think is more importent. Labor Unions have become as undemocratic as they can get-sure there are those locals/Internationals which are better but SEIU is not some shinning star of Democratic practices.
After the election fraud I have witnessed first hand in unions, such chirping by Stern about voicing concerns and "change" makes me laugh.
When does the general membership get to vote for International Officers of SEIU?
Read the bylaws WilliamL. Our officers, including Stern, are elected by the membership.
Stern was elected by delegates to the convention not the general membership of SEIU.
That is a good thing, voting for leadership but when you control the election, the process, what difference does it really make. Say what you want but have scene the process, the IU sitting president running against a member? Who do you think is going to "win."
I spent my share of time around the labor movement in numberous capacities around the country and it is no wonder workers in this country are in the shape they are in from wages to benefits down the line esp. when certain IUs are supportive of playing a role in flooding the labor market with labor who have had an adverse impact upon wages and so forth. The influence of millions of undocumented workers in this country can not be denied and their presence in the work force has had a negative impact upon American workers and the conditions they face.
Say what you want, the border sd. have been shut down on 9-12-01.
There is a saying in the labor movement that SEIU will eat their own and from what I have scene, it is true.
So why is the convention in the carribean??
Why not Denver?
To win internally I think you have to build a credible movement. Stern built a movement for reform when he won. Rivera built a movement in NY to change leadership there.
I don't think it's like running for dog catcher. If a leader (member or otherwise) has a vision for changing the union for the better - they need to communicate that vision and build a movement. I.e., they need to lead.
Dissent within SEIU is ubiquitous, with local unions having a great deal of influence over the direction of the international. Natural leaders bring their vision to the table and as a result we see a lot of innovation in SEIU.
A million workers have organized with SEIU in the last 10 years in a difficult environment for labor (to say the least). That could never have happened without grassroots leadership - any more than it could have happened without visionary leadership at the international level.
Folks, let's not be self-defeating; there's too much at stake. We have to figure out how to win.
Evidently, you don't get to vote of things like that, just as you didn't get to decide whether or not to spend all of that membership money in endorsing a candidate whom you also don't get to decide about. And since the endorsement came in the Primary season rather than the general election, your members will have to pay twice as much to 'buy' political clout for Andy Stern. It's almost a pity that Andy hasn't been able to actually deliver all those votes he promised.
But, Andy does have grand plans and you can read about some of them from this Wall Street Journal article taken from the opposing SEIU members website.
http://www.seiuvoice.org/search/?q=Wall+Street+Journal
There are things we can do which would be drastic to the status quo. Any support of the status quo is blind faith in bs. This cooperative linked to here http://www.ourfuture.org/fast-fact/worker-ownership
can be worked out by the Unions on City, County and State levels anytime City, County or State govts. are smart enough to give the Unions the power to work out the details.
I want stop there though. Besides switching 50% of the guns and bombs budget over to the electric car we can plug into our solar roofs (which would put generations to work on something useful.) we must have the TV pay 80% of their profits to the City Counties and States, they are now babbling us with bs in.
"Unions", both minor and major, are the enemies priority concern.... We have witnessed a gradual deliberate subversive undermining of union "power", and allegance to same, in the past 40 or so years, this, should reason that the "new" ideals -One World Order structure- are "void" of Unionization...do you recognize your "enemy" yet..; ask yourself, what can be done, to confront the enemy of human rights and dignity.., without "Union"????
Allowing "power" to the Unions is contrary, to the Government's cause, of ultimate final "control"....
Ya but i thought we were all Union Brothers and sisters, since our founders tried to form a more perfect Union. Did they not try and fail also? Or else the robber barons, who are still here today, wouldn't still be trying to bring this Union to its knees.
I'm an SEIU/District 1199 staffer. I have been working on a campaign to get fair rules for a union election for thousands of workers at Catholic Healthcare Partners for the past three years.
The CHP campaign did something far-too-rare in the labor movement these days. It won, and won big - a neutrality agreement from the 6th largest employer in Ohio.
Those of you following current events in the labor movement know that there has been a lot of outrage about how Rose Ann Demoro's CNA is preventing 8,000 CHP workers from joining the union, but that's not why I'm raising this here.
What I want folks to appreciate is that SEIU/District 1199, a union of 27,000, could not in our wildest dreams have won that agreement without the economic support of SEIU members from SEIU locals all over the country. That's what "Justice for All" is about.
UHW leadership doesn't support the program, and I think that's a bit odd (given how so many UHW members would not be in the union without the same program) - but it is what it is. We've all elected delegates from our locals, and they're going to make a decision at the convention. Whatever our delegates decide, we're all going to abide by their vote and we'll be stronger for the it.
But for what it's worth, I think the Stern program ought to win - because we have been winning with it.
IN SOLIDARITY
Congrats to those who were able to circumvent to crap you guys had to deal with due to the lack of support you sd. receive from the International.
For those not involved with or having been around the labor movement, it is difficult to relate but for those who have, they understand "white ballot elections" and the business with SEIU willing to eat their own and understand the cult mentality.
It is really sad to see labor leaders with college degrees, multiple homes, pensions, nice bank accounts play the games they do. Fact is, if certain service unions were not dealing with the work force they are doing, there are many Unions leaders in this country who would receive solid kicks in the asses. Their actions as with screwing around with pension and so forth are a level of violence-anyone who has worked in the labor movement will agree that financial attacks by employers are violence deserve a kick in the ass.
There are millions of good people doing good work in the labor movement and have been fortunate to have worked with many. However, the smoke and mirrors rap of certain folks in the labor movement is nothing short of sickening and cowardly. They say they are fighting the man, and the rest but the majority of the public understand their game.
It is a shame to see workers exploited by those who are paid to represent.
And, if you want to talk Andy Stern vs CNA, let me share with you some information you may not be aware of. Do you read anything other than what Andy gives you? Probably not.
For the last year, before the CHP matter even began, Ol' Andy has been hard at work in CA trying to screw the CNA and other State Union members by messing with their pension funds. He had a very neat little scheme that would, if CNA hadn't stopped him, have caused a STAGGERING LOSS TO UNION MEMBERS PENSION FUNDS est. to be $7.5 BILLION in the first 5 years if he had succeeded. Here's a Wall Street Journal accounting of what he tried to do:
http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/in-the-news/2008/april/california-s-stern-rebuke.html
So, if you think CNA fired the first shot....think again.
Sorry to disappoint you but Andy Stern is a complete megalomaniac, charlatan. The true story is that the 'deal' stern got with CHP is what is called a 'sweet-heart' deal. This is where the Employer picks the union for his employees than CRAMS it down there throats without actually going through a real negotiating process with actual employees.
This is a specialty of Stern and this is why so many other Labor Groups oppose him. (including many of his own membership) These kinds of agreements do not get the best deals for the worker at all and in Health care particulary often come with a GAG CLAUSE that illegally prevents the worker from reporting unsafe practices or safety violations. So, for very few more pennies you can betray your public trust (that would be THE PATIENT) and also put yourself at risk for possible injury. Now that's a great deal....NOT
Merg. I was a part of the Ohio deal. It was not a "sweetheart" deal, but the result of a massive three-year effort. (That may be the only thing Sal Rosselli and Andy Stern actually agree on these days...)
Our agreement with CHP covered one thing only: a fair process for workers to gain recognition. There were no concessions whatsoever with respect to bargaining, and workers retained the right to strike if necessary for a contract.
In fact, workers at the already-organized CHP hospital in Ohio (with the same local) have had to strike twice.
Hmmm, so I guess you probably attended that violent disruption of a general union conference sponsored by Labor Notes in Dearborn, Michigan. Which Bus did you arrive on? Was that you that knocked the retired UAW worker to the ground causing her a head wound and requiring a hospital visit? And how come one of your MEMBERS HAD A HEART ATTACK RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AND DIED???? Oh, I guess there were probably NO NURSES AMONG YOU WHO COULD RESUSICTATE HIM. Smart Nurses avoid SEIU once they realize that Andy really will sell out what nurses most care about....patient care issues!
Read it and weep...I know I did!
http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/in-the-news/2008/april/open-letter-to-seiu-members-and-leaders-on-the-violence-at-the-labor-notes-conference.html
Obama has done nothing to speak of yet - for people. I wouldn't trust him with the presidency - he seems to be all talk. Even his pastor or reverend 'Jeremiah Wright' alluded to that fact in his latest TV interview the other day. And this isn't the first time people who know him have said this. What does it take for people to wake up and finally realize that truth?
Posted April 25, 2008 | 10:01 AM (EST)