SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION ATTACKS LABOR GATHERING— CONFERENCE-GOERS ASSAULTED

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.newsocialist.org/index.php?id=1574

Note: This is getting ugly fast.

April 12, 2008

SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION ATTACKS LABOR GATHERING— CONFERENCE-GOERS ASSAULTED

Dearborn, MI—The Service Employees International Union turned their dispute with the California Nurses Association violent by attacking a labor conference April 12, injuring several and sending an American Axle striker to the hospital.

A recently retired member of United Auto Workers Local 235, Dianne Feeley, suffered a head wound after being knocked to the ground by SEIU International staff and local members. Other conference-goers—members of the Teamsters, UAW, UNITE HERE, International Longshoremen’s Association, and SEIU itself—were punched, kicked, shoved, and pushed to the floor. Dearborn police responded and evicted the three bus loads of SEIU International staff and members of local and regional health care unions. No arrests were made.

The assault took place at the Labor Notes conference, a biennial gathering of 1,100 union members and leaders who met to discuss strategies to rebuild the labor movement.

David Cohen, an international representative of the United Electrical Workers, asked protesters why they came. He said one responded, “they told us just to get on the bus.” The protesters included several members with young children, who had to be ushered away when SEIU tried to force their way into the conference banquet hall. Protesters were targeting Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the AFL-CIO-affiliated CNA. DeMoro was scheduled to speak but declined to appear after threats were made against her union’s leadership.

Despite being welcomed to the conference earlier in the day—and given space to debate supporters of the CNA and the National Nurses Organizing Committee about neutrality organizing agreements—SEIU international and regional staff shouted down speakers at workshops and panels throughout the event.

“Labor Notes has always been a space for open debate, but when a union decides to engage in violence against their brothers and sisters, we draw a line,” said Mark Brenner, director of Labor Notes. “Violence within the labor movement is unacceptable and we call on the national leadership of SEIU, including President Andy Stern, to repudiate it.”

For more information, contact Chris Kutalik 313-378-2588 or Mischa Gaus 773-627-3205

[LeftCoast]

1. I've been trying to figure out what the hell is going on with the unions representing RNs

I'm currently non-union, and frankly I don't want much to do with any of these guys at this point.

[mdmc]

2. S O L I D A R I T Y ! ! !

SEUI 1999 is the only group organizing here in the hudson valley (we have AFMSC / CSEA / and TEAMSTERS, but they are in decline).

I must say as a labor advocate I've been stunned at the organizing abilities of seui 1999 - they SUCK!

They don't get their point across, and don't seem to help any real workers get better pay. It seems that once a site is unionized, they workers get to pay dues out of the same money they were making prior to unionizing.
All other non-union shops (like where I work) look at the SEUI-organized shop and say, "Why organize here, just to make the same money and have to pay dues to an international.

SOLIDARITY!

[patrice]

4. "they SUCK!" Do you think they are newbies?

People inexperienced in the nuances of complex integrations? What kind of training does SEIU provide?

Is there ANYONE who can help them?

Or are there too many hooligans, simply bent on destroying something, anything . . . ?

This IS soooo sad

[patrice]

3. Thanks Steve. : - ((((((((((((((((((

If folks, on both sides, can't process their differences honestly and constructively, the resulting power struggles are not good for the Labor movement, so they should just stay separate.

Thanks for all of your good work Steve. Please continue to keep us posted.

Solidarity!

[Joesunionreview]

5. Disgraceful

I agree with Mark Brenner

Mark Brenner, director of Labor Notes. “Violence within the labor movement is unacceptable and we call on the national leadership of SEIU, including President Andy Stern, to repudiate it.”

More info
http://labornotes.org/node/1604