Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
SF Weekly Reaches New Low in Hit Piece on SEIU
The SF Weekly’s current cover story attacking SEIU President Andy Stern involves a level of disinformation exceeding that routinely promoted by FOX News. While the story argues that “SEIU bosses” have engaged in a “secret sellout” of their members and nursing home patients, its only “evidence” is a 2003 agreement between the union and nursing home operators that was widely and publicly debated at the time.
The weekly’s claim that SEIU is aligned with corporate interests is also off base, and would come as a great surprise to the owners of downtown office buildings targeted by SEIU’s Justice for Janitors campaigns. The New Times Corporation that publishes the SF Weekly is notoriously anti-union, and is attacking SEIU not because it is ineffective, but rather because it fears its increasing success.
The SF Weekly is such a politically inconsequential news source that I prefer not to raise the profile of its stories by commenting upon them. But its April 11-17 cover story attacking SEIU’s international leadership targets some of the key players in America’s progressive labor movement, and is so duplicitous that the record must be set straight.
The story, “Union Disunity,” argues that SEIU President Andy Stern is in a “showdown” with Sal Roselli, President of SEIU’s United Healthcare Workers-West over “the rights of unionized health care workers and the patients they care for.” Writer Matt Smith claims to have obtained “secret” and “for-top-union-officials-eyes-only” documents confirming that “SEIU bosses” advanced a “secret sellout” of workers over the objections of Roselli and others.
The first question is why a 2003 agreement between SEIU and nursing home operators is suddenly front page news. Far from being “secret,” the legislative deal between SEIU and nursing home operators was widely discussed and debated at the time. In fact, all of the criticisms of the agreement have been extensively detailed by other publications, including, if my memory is correct, in a previous attack on SEIU and Rosselli in the SF Weekly.
Under the 2003 agreement, nursing home operators would not oppose union organizing drives in exchange for SEIU’s support for higher reimbursement rates. Some interpreted the deal as also including reduced state monitoring of nursing home conditions, which is why critics of SEIU claimed that it would compromise patient care.
More
http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4410#more
The SF Weekly is such a politically inconsequential news source that I prefer not to raise the profile of its stories by commenting upon them. But its April 11-17 cover story attacking SEIU’s international leadership targets some of the key players in America’s progressive labor movement, and is so duplicitous that the record must be set straight.
The story, “Union Disunity,” argues that SEIU President Andy Stern is in a “showdown” with Sal Roselli, President of SEIU’s United Healthcare Workers-West over “the rights of unionized health care workers and the patients they care for.” Writer Matt Smith claims to have obtained “secret” and “for-top-union-officials-eyes-only” documents confirming that “SEIU bosses” advanced a “secret sellout” of workers over the objections of Roselli and others.
The first question is why a 2003 agreement between SEIU and nursing home operators is suddenly front page news. Far from being “secret,” the legislative deal between SEIU and nursing home operators was widely discussed and debated at the time. In fact, all of the criticisms of the agreement have been extensively detailed by other publications, including, if my memory is correct, in a previous attack on SEIU and Rosselli in the SF Weekly.
Under the 2003 agreement, nursing home operators would not oppose union organizing drives in exchange for SEIU’s support for higher reimbursement rates. Some interpreted the deal as also including reduced state monitoring of nursing home conditions, which is why critics of SEIU claimed that it would compromise patient care.
More
http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4410#more
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
Shaw makes some good points about SFWeekly's anti-unionism, but Matt Smith's story had good points too.
Unite Here and SEIU political strategy has definitely been focused on building membership at the expense of standing firm for worker rights.
Look at the tangle of the Hotel Workers' strike. For the union pimps the successes were huge: but what really happened to the expendable rank and file workers?
My guess is most found work elsewhere just to keep a paycheck and that the Unite Here hotels just perfected their revolving doors.
I don't know this for certain.
To know, we need courageous and truly independent journalism that is fact based.
I don't want to know who is friends with who. I want to know the facts.
Beyond Chron and SFWeekly are both suspect.
Indybay becomes suspect if it promotes one and not both or neither.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-04-11/news/union-disunity/
Unite Here and SEIU political strategy has definitely been focused on building membership at the expense of standing firm for worker rights.
Look at the tangle of the Hotel Workers' strike. For the union pimps the successes were huge: but what really happened to the expendable rank and file workers?
My guess is most found work elsewhere just to keep a paycheck and that the Unite Here hotels just perfected their revolving doors.
I don't know this for certain.
To know, we need courageous and truly independent journalism that is fact based.
I don't want to know who is friends with who. I want to know the facts.
Beyond Chron and SFWeekly are both suspect.
Indybay becomes suspect if it promotes one and not both or neither.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-04-11/news/union-disunity/
For more information:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/1...
Matt Smith's reality check of the phony Andy Stern and his sell-out of SEIU members is an important story, despite the SF Weekly's mixed up politics. Beyond Chron missed the story, which has been written about in The Organizer - http://www.owcinfo.org/Trade_Union/Index_TU.html. This was not a hit piece on the SEIU or an attack on the union, but an expose of how Stern, in promoting himself as the self-appointed new visionary labor leader has sold out to the corporate class and endangered his workers and nursing home patients.
Indybay hasn't hidden the SF Weekly article but since it is from a copywritten corporate owned publication, Indybay can't make it "local" and thus have it be syndicated to Google News as being from Indybay.
If it is a smear piece with no factual basis and a rightwing antiunion agenda, I hope it gets hidden.
If local SEIU members have real issues with their leadership they can always post original content to Indybay.
If it is a smear piece with no factual basis and a rightwing antiunion agenda, I hope it gets hidden.
If local SEIU members have real issues with their leadership they can always post original content to Indybay.
It would be good if more workers weighed in here.
SFWeekly definitely is corporate owned.
Although readers should read everything with a healthy skepticism, I think Matt Smith's story raises good issues.
I admire the hard work of many local leaders on its behalf. I am also alarmed by the way Union members are corralled by its leadership to support Democrats like John Edwards who is hardly an ideal.
What is the real status of SF Hotel workers today? We were told by the mainstream that the strike was resolved. What happened since?
I appreciate independent journalism-- but we need to ask more questions-- especially questions about just how independent our independents are (e.g. Pacifica).
Too often we are led by some who drone on about what is best for us or all about their street own cred, while much of what is common knowledge (e.g. that we workers are increasingly stiffed) is dumped down the memory hole.
SFWeekly definitely is corporate owned.
Although readers should read everything with a healthy skepticism, I think Matt Smith's story raises good issues.
I admire the hard work of many local leaders on its behalf. I am also alarmed by the way Union members are corralled by its leadership to support Democrats like John Edwards who is hardly an ideal.
What is the real status of SF Hotel workers today? We were told by the mainstream that the strike was resolved. What happened since?
I appreciate independent journalism-- but we need to ask more questions-- especially questions about just how independent our independents are (e.g. Pacifica).
Too often we are led by some who drone on about what is best for us or all about their street own cred, while much of what is common knowledge (e.g. that we workers are increasingly stiffed) is dumped down the memory hole.
(reprinted from ILC International Newsletter No. 196 - Aug. 15, 2006)
ANDY STERN & "CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS":
FROM IMMIGRATION REFORM TO SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE
By ALAN BENJAMIN
Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has been spending a lot of time lately hanging out with the CEOs of some of the largest U.S. multinational corporations in his quest to work out a "much-needed partnership" to the big problems facing our country.
more...
http://www.owcinfo.org/Trade_Union/7_Face_In_US.htm
THE TRADE UNIONS AND THE FIGHT FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS:
Why the SEIU's "Partnership" Agenda Is So Disastrous
http://www.owcinfo.org/Trade_Union/8_Fight_Immig_Rights.htm
ANDY STERN & "CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS":
FROM IMMIGRATION REFORM TO SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE
By ALAN BENJAMIN
Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has been spending a lot of time lately hanging out with the CEOs of some of the largest U.S. multinational corporations in his quest to work out a "much-needed partnership" to the big problems facing our country.
more...
http://www.owcinfo.org/Trade_Union/7_Face_In_US.htm
THE TRADE UNIONS AND THE FIGHT FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS:
Why the SEIU's "Partnership" Agenda Is So Disastrous
http://www.owcinfo.org/Trade_Union/8_Fight_Immig_Rights.htm
For more information:
http://www.owcinfo.org/Trade_Union/7_Face_...
---But the ''progressive ' Sf Bay Guardian has, in the mid 70's . If the staff there do announce a organizing drive, as rumored, it will be interesting to see the response from the editor and publisher.
Re the Seiu , i know many very dissatisified rank and file members. There's less democracy in the Seiu at this time than even the Teamsters.
Stern for example was elected by acclaimation by the delegates at the last International convention . Hoffa Jr. , in contrast, at least had to run in a mail ballot election .
Re the Seiu , i know many very dissatisified rank and file members. There's less democracy in the Seiu at this time than even the Teamsters.
Stern for example was elected by acclaimation by the delegates at the last International convention . Hoffa Jr. , in contrast, at least had to run in a mail ballot election .
Not to mention dissatisified SEIU union staff (organizers etc.)
No doubt SEIU is pathetic - they are working on a model of building "partnerships" that only leads to workers getting the short end of the stick.
I for one was glad to see someone looking into the affairs of SEIU, as even its own members have begun smelling the stink of something rotten. With all its high-and-mighty, we-are-raising-the-working-man-up talk, their actions have told a different story. They might think they are being progressive and just trying to help workers with a different approach, but they are losing support from front-line workers by blatantly ignoring requests to file grievances, allowing filed grievances to waste away. We don't work for a nursing home but a large HMO and we suspect the same deal has been struck with this HMO in exchange for union "peace," which is code these day in SEIU for "DON'T FILE ANY GRIEVANCES." They have morphed into a employer union, basically kowtowing to the employer's wishes and ignoring members' issues and problems. I wonder how long they can hold down worker suspicions & discontent while collecting and getting rich of their union dues.
Knock Stern all you want. He deserves it. He may have us wear Barney Purple windbreakers and use politically correct language but he wants to take our union back to the bad old days of George Meany . Go along to get along attitute towards corporations.
But don't let Salvatore Roselli off the hook . My unit was recently rammed into the United Heath Workers affilate by Sal . I'm very concerned that our specific workplace concerns will be lost in this new mega local .I'll write more tommorrow . Thanks to Indybay for providing this opportunity .
Footnote:It's a interesting coincidence that the article is written by a guy named Randy Shaw .One of the best Union reps we have in Hayward has a similar name .
But don't let Salvatore Roselli off the hook . My unit was recently rammed into the United Heath Workers affilate by Sal . I'm very concerned that our specific workplace concerns will be lost in this new mega local .I'll write more tommorrow . Thanks to Indybay for providing this opportunity .
Footnote:It's a interesting coincidence that the article is written by a guy named Randy Shaw .One of the best Union reps we have in Hayward has a similar name .
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$65.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network