A lawsuit filed May 1st in federal court by the security and private intelligence firm OSO Group against the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has revealed details of the militarized takeover of Oakland-based affiliate United Healthcare Workers West (UHW).

The lawsuit revealed that SEIU ran up a $2.2 million bill with the OSO Group, which is just one of several security companies hired by SEIU to carry out the trusteeship of UHW. OSO Group deployed off-duty and retired police officers - at $110 per hour - to conduct surveillance of UHW's offices and intimidate, photograph, and videotape members and staff. SEIU directed OSO Group to spy on meetings where UHW members discussed SEIU plans to move 65,000 workers to a new union without a democratic vote on the matter. OSO Group has also been providing "protection services" for out-of-state SEIU brass visiting California.

The OSO Group provides surveillance, intelligence, counter-terrorism and other services to multinational corporations. Its leaders and staff are mainly former agents of the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and CIA, as well as national law enforcement officials.

SEIU and its controversial leader Andy Stern moved to trustee UHW in January. The action was criticized by UHW's leaders as undemocratic. Since then, former UHW leaders and rank-and-file activists have formed a new union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), and a majority of UHW members have petitioned to leave SEIU and join NUHW.

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Related Coverage: Workers Petition to Join NUHW | Workers Rebuild Their Union | United Healthcare Workers West Put Into Trusteeship