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[[File:Seiu-logo.png]]

[[File:Seiu-logo.png]]

The '''Service Employees International Union''' (SEIU) is a large, politically powerful [[liberal]] [[labor union]] with 1.9 million members in the United States, Canada, and [[Puerto Rico]]. The SEIU says they are "dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society". It is closely affiliated with the [[Democratic Party]] and is tightly controlled by labor boss [[Andy Stein]], the president since 1996.  

The '''Service Employees International Union''' (SEIU) is a large, politically powerful [[liberal]] [[labor union]] with 1.9 million members in the United States, Canada, and [[Puerto Rico]]. The SEIU says they are "dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society". It is closely affiliated with the [[Democratic Party]] and is tightly controlled by labor boss [[Andy Stern]], the president since 1996.  

SEIU chiefly represents public employees, whose employers are federal, state, and local governments. They answer to voters not shareholders, and politically powerful unions like SEIU have a strong voice at the polls,. Government agencies do not have to fear that strikes will give an advantage to their competition--they have little local competition and no fears of international competitors--so strikes are not common. But the voting power of SEIU means local and state politicians--especially Democrats--are willingly agree to union recognition and enter into long-term collective bargaining contracts with votes as an implicit side payment.

SEIU chiefly represents public employees, whose employers are federal, state, and local governments. They answer to voters not shareholders, and politically powerful unions like SEIU have a strong voice at the polls,. Government agencies do not have to fear that strikes will give an advantage to their competition--they have little local competition and no fears of international competitors--so strikes are not common. But the voting power of SEIU means local and state politicians--especially Democrats--are willingly agree to union recognition and enter into long-term collective bargaining contracts with votes as an implicit side payment.