SEIU/CNA Fight Still Roiling

Warner Todd Huston* | May 15, 2008

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) suffered a stinging rebuke when nearly 47% of the nurses at three St. Rose Dominican hospitals in Nevada voted to join a rival union this week. It wasn’t enough to decertify the SEIU – 50% was necessary – but with nearly half of the members voting against the union, this shows quite a widespread dissatisfaction with the SEIU.

Asked to explain why this vote against the SEIU was so large, SEIU Nevada Executive Director Jane McAlevey said, “Smart people do stupid (expletive).”

While this might explain why people who are claimed to be so “smart” would join a union at all, it doesn’t necessarily serve as a satisfactory explanation of why the SEIU has lost so many members’ confidence. McAlevey went on to posit that the SEIU isn’t really being rebuked and that this large anti vote was really only a result of the “dirty campaign tactics” of the California Nurses Association (CNA) SEIU’s rival union.

For her part, CNA chief Rose Ann DeMoro said, “This historic vote is a window to a rebellion brewing among SEIU nurses across the nation.”

Troubles for the SEIU have been plenty over the last several years with SEIU chief Andy Stern facing a stiff challenge to his leadership from within his own union as well as assaults from other competing unions. Charges have been made that Stern rules the union with an iron fist from the top down and has gerrymandered local union boards to rubber stamp his own presidency.

It could all come to a messy head in Puerto Rico at the SEIU convention the first week of June where members will be able to cast their vote on Stern’s presidency.

Contributor's website: http://thenma.org/blogs/index.php/huston

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