Letter from FOUR Shop Stewards about Unite Here's Pink Sheeting

A more thorough response will be coming later, but I thought it was important to note the following:

The staff of UNITE HERE are no longer represented by the Federation of Union Representatives.

October 2, 2009 The Union of UNITE HERE Staff were recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent on behalf of all UNITE HERE staff.

82% of the UNITE HERE staff chose to join the new union and leave FOUR.

The staff of UNITE HERE rightly saw FOUR as nothing more than an extension of Bruce Raynor and Andy Stern, and the claims of "pink sheeting" as nothing more than another attempt to destroy UNITE HERE through any means necessary by SEIU/WU.

i'm not surprised unite here staff formed a company staff union. HERE has a long an storied history of attacking their staff when they try to organize a real union. ask former staff at local 6 or 226 or indian gaming. what is shocking is that wilhelm and crew are trying to blame seiu for a longstanding, creepy unite here practice. HERE-leaders made this mess. don't try to blame it on stern or raynor.

greenhouse is one of the best labor reporters in the country and wouldn't touch this story if it was part of an "seiu campaign." Just accept that your organization has some serious flaws. i mean, look at the heaps and heaps of evidence saying that pink sheeting is real, that it is widespread and that it continues. instead of blaming seiu, put the blame where it really belongs.

UUHS “was recognized,” huh? Just like that? You have to fight for it, or did your boss pick your union for you?

On the claim that HERE’s own practice is an SEIU ploy to “destroy” HERE, you can’t be serious, unless you’re alleging that SEIU secretly infiltrated HERE decades ago and convinced them to pink sheet, knowing they would someday get in a fight with HERE and could then manipulate a group of ex-HERE boycotters, who oppose SEIU's organizing model, into exposing pink-sheeting… But that kind of underground intrigue is really more HERE’s style. Unless….OMG you guys Karl Lechow was an SEIU double-agent this whole time!

Just once, I’d like to hear somebody try to publicly justify pink-sheeting.

As heartbreaking as it is to have to read this kind of article in the NY Times, it is about time someone called Wilhelm and HERE out on this inexcusable practice. This has been going on for decades and has caused serious emotional harm to hundreds - if not thousands - of former HERE staff and the workers they have pink sheeted in the name of "organizing". Greenhouse only scratched the surface of how outrageous pink sheeting and hot seating is and how widespread and damaging the practices have been.

HERE has been very sucessful in positioning itself in the left-leaning media and the labor movement as the progressive alternative to SEIU, but they have done so through outrageous dishonesty and manipulation (not surprising given this is an organization uses something as repulsive as pink sheting to manipulate and "motivate" its own staff and members). This is a union that has tried to portray itself as the great defender of union democracy, yet they dont allow for the election of shop stewards or delegates. This is the union that has accused SEIU of being a "company union" while working in collusion with employers to deprive workers of thier legal rights to union representation, living wages and other rights to advance its own interests (and the interests of frendly employers). Wilhelm plays the part of militant union leader to the labor left, and then kowtows with the bosses pledging his "cooperation" while making concessions that screw his members (see this link for just a few examples)

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/19/union-leader-says-card-check-senates-back-burner

Give me a break! John Wilhelm, Karl Lechow and Warren Heyman may have suceeded in selling a big lie to the labor left and thier own cadre, but history takes the longview and there are still an awful lot of us out here who havent drunk the Kool Aid.
At the end of the day, HERE is nothing more than a cult masquerading as a movement.... unfortunately, most of these stories have a similarly tragic ending for those that do drink deep of that tasty red punch.

This is the creepy, cultish crap that the old HERE folks have been doing for years. Its the same kind of deranged psychobabble bullshit that destroyed the Farm Workers movement by ripping it apart from the inside during Chavez's final years. There is really no place for this kind of nonsense... it gives all unions a bad name and makes it even harder for the good unions to effectively fight for working people and win meaningful labor law reform.

Wilhelm and his HERE kool aid drinkers should be ashamed... if they represent the future of a progressive labor movement, working people are really screwed.

Again, to point out some facts in this letter that claims to be from the union that represents UNITE HERE staff.

All of the FOUR Shop Stewards that signed this above letter are employees of SEIU, not UNITE HERE.

These SEIU employees are attacking a union to which they do not work for, do not represent the employees of, and they themselves are being paid to raid and destroy all over the country.

These SEIU employees do not speak for UNITE HERE staff. Just as the SEIU employees who spoke to the New York Times do not speak for UNITE HERE staff.

SEIU employees are actively engaged in raiding, decertifications and attempts to destroy the work for UNITE HERE members and staff.

UUHS,

We've seen the hysterical talking points about "raiding" and the suchlike before, you guys certainly stay "on message." What interests me is that the talking points don't contest the existence of pink-sheeting. And yet no one will defend it. Why won't you? And it if it's indefensible, why has it continued for so long, sanctioned from the very top of the organization?

I hope that while you're attacking the authors of this letter and our motives, you're also pushing internally to put an end to it. Maybe you are. Maybe you were even one of the FOUR members supporting our brothers and sisters (mostly sisters) resisting pink-sheeting over the years, many of whom paid a heavy price for their stand. I don't doubt or impugn the motives or trade union bona-fides of everyone who took a side different from mine in the UNITE/HERE divorce.

Courageous organizers filed grievances against pink-sheeting in 2006, and again in 2008. In response, UH issued policies that supposedly banned the practice, yet it continues. No one has yet been called to account for it, although it's no secret who's responsible. I regret that our years-long fight through the grievance process did not end this deplorable practice. I hope that the bright light the brave organizers in that article have shone might finally do so.

Brian Callaci
FOUR shop steward

So unite here staff can vote to leave their union and form a new one, but when former UH members do it, you call it a raid?

When workers vote, Unite Here wins 2-1! Just ask the Philadelphia Public School Cafeteria workers who won 1121-551 (with almost 200 ballots challenged by WU). This is different from the phony 'votes' manufactured by WU Joint Boards.

"UNITE HERE Member:"

Please back away from the kool-aid, place the kool-aid cup on the table!

Your statement: "When workers vote, UNITE HERE wins..." is not true nor correct where Tampa Airport Concessions workers voted for Workers United over UNITE HERE by a vote of 194 yes to 9 no. Nor is it true where close to a 1,000 workers in Ontario Canada recently voted for Workers United over UNITE HERE by a rate of 90%. No phony votes here.

What's more, there have been at least 10 NLRB decisions over the last 6 months in favor of Workers United over UNITE HERE where it was ruled that Workers United is the official legal bargaining representative for the members who "broke away" or were "raided" from UNITE HERE. I believe the NLRB rulings affected close to 2,000 plus members.

As for the Philly school campaign you speak of, please note that bona fide Board charges have been filed against that election by Workers United and legal hearings before a judge were recently held. Whether or not the charges carry enough weight to overturn the election we shall see shortly.

But one thing is certain: UNITE HERE did some real slimly things in that campaign, - from messing with ballots, campaigning in the schools illegally, and having the school call the police on Workers United organizers to name just a few things.

But one of the most slimiest things that UNITE HERE did was to make veiled threats against their own members by putting out flyers that said: "Keep your job. Keep your Union. Vote UNITE HERE 634." Mind you, this message was put out to Philly School Cafeteria members who make little more than $9.00 dollars an hour and who only work 2-4 hours a day, - if that, and have no medical health insurance to speak of, and who were scared to death of losing their jobs or having their hours reduced out of fear retaliation.

Good job UNITE HERE. The fight is far from over.

But no one from the HERE side of this comment chain has been willing to address pink sheeting--the fact that it exists, that it is widespread, that it has gone on for years and that it continues. Greenhouse mentions the Monthly Review open letter that came out last month. That was by HERE supporters, and it acknowledged that pink sheeting is a problem. I know they were salts in the hotels, but where they SEIU plants as well? No. What explains their experience and condemnation of pink sheeting? Anyone?

As a former member of unite here Phoenix I personally saw an heard things from the leadership that would make Joe arpaio cheer. Maybe if the workers had all the same opportunities these Yalie organizers had "they would be able to speak English". Anyone who was involved in Phoenix knows what Im trying to say here. The leadership was cultish and your typiical racist liberal. Dixiecrats yalies and skull and bones pa' fuera de Phoenix.

As a former staff of the phx local I have dealt with these crazy people called organizers and was told dailey ny main goal was to pinksheet as many people as possible even my family and friends. That is not what drmcracy looks like. Shame on you all

Hey double agent. Trip out on this. What if all these here fools are really walmart folks. You know that real Yalie blueblood. I think they ar really in disguise for corporate America. As a secret war on the organized labor movement. Damn I need to copy right this shit. Ha

for. Better world !

Dear UUHS,

Anyone and everyone in the labor movement knows that the Union of UNITE HERE Staff (UUHS) is nothing more than a company Union. The response by UUHS to the pink sheeting NYT's article by Steven Greenhouse parrots word for word the message of Wilhelm and the UNITE HERE leadership. That is, pink sheeting is all the fault of SEIU and Workers United.

Be that as it may, why does not UUHS come out publicaly in defense of the former UNITE HERE staff members who were pink sheeted and issue a call to the entire labor movement that as a staff Union we will use our power to launch a no holes barred investigation into UNITE HERE on the practice of pink sheeting and let the chips fall where they may? What's more, as a staff Union UUHS should say that we will publish the results of our investigation for all to see and read on the Indybay blog. Why not?

Will UUHS accept such a challenge and do the right thing and prove to the labor movement that they are not a company Union and launch an investigation into pink sheeting?

In solidarity,

Just Cause

So now the International UH has achieved the level of fine representation achieved at such bastions of democracy as Local 11 with it's "association" to timid to even advance a proposal not previously vetted by management. Do hold your breath for them to admit any guilt. They are too busy to trying to figure out how to tie Andy Stern to the downing of the Hindenberg or the Armenian genocide.

Check it out. Here's the locals where pink sheeting is among the strongest: GESO (Yale), Local 217 (Connecticut), Local 1 (Chicago), Local 11 (Los Angeles), Local 2850 (Oakland), California Indian Gaming, Phoenix... Notice anything in common about these sites? They are all places that Wilhelm and his Yale inspired teams "turned around." This is not an incidental or coincidental program. Next in line to drink deep? San Diego, San Jose, San Antonio (if they get off the ground).

as a member of UUHS I can say that we decertifed FOUR, the staff union that trumped up these allegations, because they were nothing more than a company union for SEIU.

We wanted a real union, but so long as the shills for Andy Stern and Bruce Raynor ran FOUR, they used it to attempt to destroy UNITE HERE, not take care of our real concerns, we had no choice but to leave and form our union.

UUHS, a real union.
FOUR, the company union for SEIU.

how many grievences has uuhs filed? id lime for uuhs people to call four a company unión to workers united organizers

Let's been clear- HERE tried time and time and time again to get rid of FOUR. Why? Because FOUR supports transparent processes of hiring, promotion and discipline. Those basic union values run counter to the secretive, immoral practices of HERE staff development, which are utterly dependent on the 'pink sheet' process.

If you still think SEIU is making this up take a look at this old blog: http://hendrixchafe.typepad.com/unitehere_the_anti_staff_/
I don't endorse all the sentiments of the blog, but it goes to show that FOUR and HERE staff have been battling over these issues for a long long time.

Also you may notice some of the names (Chuck for instance) appear on the blog as anti-FOUR and the name Chuck also appears on the UUHS letter. Hmm. maybe that's an SEIU ploy too.

every single pro-here post in this thread is chuck hendricks. he is online all day arguing with anyone about anything while the rest of us are working.

the labor-left is depressing because they are a smidge less relevant than the american labor movement at large. WU and Unite Here should get over themselves and figure out how to make peace and work on taking on wall street before the rest of the economy crumbles down around us. nobody on the planet gives a shit about this stuff except the staff of these two small and silly unions.

dear tired of chuck,
thanks for writing the labor message board comment of the year.

After reading all of the disagreements I'm dizzy privacy is wrong for all Unions Employment and Organizations don't know how the CIA does it but this is nothing near, now what I feel is all these Unions and don't mean to put them down ,let's please stop the POLITICS , and the LOVE AFFAIR with the COMPANIES , Who ever doesn't have a heart for the JOB GET OUT OUT ....