Changes

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.  

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. A large portion of the SEIU membership comprises women, minorities, and immigrants--groups that historically were hard to organize.

The SEIU operates with a well-paid skilled staff and has a presence in virtually every major American city.

The SEIU operates with a well-paid skilled staff and has a presence in virtually every major American city.

*'''Property Services''' – SEIU is the largest property services union, with workers who protect and clean commercial office buildings, and is the largest security union, with private security officers and public safety personnel.<ref>http://www.seiu.org/about/fast_facts/index.cfm</ref>

*'''Property Services''' – SEIU is the largest property services union, with workers who protect and clean commercial office buildings, and is the largest security union, with private security officers and public safety personnel.<ref>http://www.seiu.org/about/fast_facts/index.cfm</ref>

The SEIU participates in the [[Americans Against Escalation in Iraq]] coalition.<ref>http://www.noiraqescalation.org/about/</ref>

SEIU is strongest in California, where its United Healthcare Workers-West is one of California's largest unions at 150,000 members. The head is Sal Rosselli, who is locked in a bitter battle with Stern and the national headquarters.

 

SEIU participates in the [[Americans Against Escalation in Iraq]] coalition.<ref>http://www.noiraqescalation.org/about/</ref>

==Politics==

==Politics==

At the outset, Stern told members that he expected "every leader at every level of this union -- from the international President to the rank-and-file member -- to devote five working days this year to political action."  In effect, this became the mandate for the union leaders to work in support of the Democratic Party. Stern sits on the Executive Committee of America Coming Together funded by George Soros. SEIU is a major component of the "Shadow Democratic Party," a network of more than five-dozen unions, nonprofit activist groups, and think tanks with the agendas of the left and which campaigns for Democrat candidates and causes. Because they are a "527 organization", SEIU is not registered as a "political organization" with the Federal Election Commission, and collects "soft money" with no limits on how much it may receive. This money, in turn, is given to Democratic candidates, political action committees, and other "527" groups promoting the same agendas. <ref> http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6535 </ref>

At the outset, Stern told members that he expected "every leader at every level of this union -- from the international President to the rank-and-file member -- to devote five working days this year to political action."  In effect, this became the mandate for the union leaders to work in support of the Democratic Party. Stern sits on the Executive Committee of America Coming Together funded by George Soros. SEIU is a major component of the "Shadow Democratic Party," a network of more than five-dozen unions, nonprofit activist groups, and think tanks with the agendas of the left and which campaigns for Democrat candidates and causes. Because they are a "527 organization", SEIU is not registered as a "political organization" with the Federal Election Commission, and collects "soft money" with no limits on how much it may receive. This money, in turn, is given to Democratic candidates, political action committees, and other "527" groups promoting the same agendas. <ref> http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6535 </ref>

==Change to Win==

==Change to Win==

In the last two decades a great deal of consolidation happened in the union movement. The garment workers union<ref> The successor to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Its membership is shrinking but it has a large treasury.</ref>  and HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union), merged in 2004 to create a new union UNITE HERE, with 450,000 members. Then UNITE HERE formed a coalition with the Teamsters, SEIU, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the Laborers, and the United Farm Workers (UFW) to form '''Change to Win'''. It sought to displace the well-established [[AFL-CIO]]. Stern became the spokesman for Change to Win and he challenged AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for national attention.

In the last two decades a great deal of consolidation happened in the union movement. The garment workers union<ref> The successor to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Its membership is shrinking but it has a large treasury.</ref>  and HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union), merged in 2004 to create a new union UNITE HERE, with 450,000 members. Then UNITE HERE formed a coalition with the Teamsters, SEIU, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the Laborers, and the United Farm Workers (UFW) to form '''Change to Win''' in 2005. It sought to displace the well-established [[AFL-CIO]]. Stern became the spokesman for Change to Win and he challenged AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for national attention.

Recently Stern's SEIU has been raiding members from UNITE HERE, thus creating a deep division in the Change to Win coalition.  In 2008 Bruce Raynor of UNITE, the co-president of UNITE HERE declare the UNITE HERE merger a failure, and tried to take UNITE (and its bank) into SEIU. The other co-president John Wilhelm of HERE protested loudly, and the internecine battle was on.  Stern He financed and, with Raynor, created a new hotel-restaurant-casino union called 'Workers United" that is part of SEIU and is now openly trying to sign up HERE members.  Raynor resigned from UNITE HERE, becoming president of Workers United and executive vice president of SEIU.  

Recently Stern's SEIU has been raiding members from UNITE HERE, thus creating a deep division in the Change to Win coalition.  In 2008 Bruce Raynor of UNITE, the co-president of UNITE HERE declare the UNITE HERE merger a failure, and tried to take UNITE (and its bank) into SEIU. The other co-president John Wilhelm of HERE protested loudly, and the internecine battle was on.  Stern He financed and, with Raynor, created a new hotel-restaurant-casino union called 'Workers United" that is part of SEIU and is now openly trying to sign up HERE members.  Raynor resigned from UNITE HERE, becoming president of Workers United and executive vice president of SEIU.  

* Fink, Leon, and Brian Greenberg. ''Upheaval in the Quiet Zone: 1199/SEIU and the Politics of Healthcare Unionism'' (2nd ed. 2009)

* Fink, Leon, and Brian Greenberg. ''Upheaval in the Quiet Zone: 1199/SEIU and the Politics of Healthcare Unionism'' (2nd ed. 2009)

* Fletcher, Bill, and Fernando Gapasin. ''Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice'' (2009)

* Fletcher, Bill, and Fernando Gapasin. ''Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice'' (2009)

 

==External Links==

==External Links==

*http://www.seiu.org/ Official Website

* [http://www.seiu.org/ Official Website]

==References==

==References==

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