Monday, November 30, 2009

Where did all the organizers go? Outsourced for something cheaper!


Apparently the state of Michigan's Economic Development Corporation gave $2 million to SEIU to locate a call center in the state. This will create hundreds of jobs for organizers? Nope, the staff will be operators to "service" the Michigan members.

SEIU lays off the organizers and get Redevelopment $ for call center operators?

Let's hope that SEIU Michigan members hold these call centers accountable...

check out the story here

Who gets the scarf, Pinky?

Sources say that Andy Stern's girlfriend - a blogger named Jane Hamsher - may have broken up with Mr. Purple.

So why is Jane leaving Andy? Sources say she's upset that Andy is refusing to push for a public option as part of the national health reform legislation. That says something. When your girlfriend or boyfriend is so disgusted by your lack of principles, that should make you think. Funny things is, if Jane had only checked in with SEIU members, we could have told her that!

Hey Andy, if you're reading this, here's a suggestion: www.eharmony.com

ps Lets not forget the beginning of this scarf fun...

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Local 99 Members Protest More Sell-Out Deals!

Last week, while SEIU staffers were pelting the Vice President of the Los Angeles teachers union with eggs, Bill Lloyd (President of SEIU Local 99) reportedly was negotiating a secret sell-out contract covering 1,200 employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Sources say that the affected members of Local 99, who were negotiating their first-ever contract, are "mad as hell" because Bill Lloyd negotiated and signed the contract without even informing the bargaining team.

And get this: Workers won't even get to vote on the contract because Lloyd agreed to merge the 1,200 employees into an existing unit of Local 99 members, which happens to have the worst of Local 99's contracts with LA Unified School District (Unit G).

Workers first learned about Lloyd's secret deal when Neneki Lee, Local 99's Staff Director, congratulated them about their new contract during a MOC meeting. Members of the bargaining team looked at each other and said, "What is she talking about?" Neneki said, "I thought you knew." I guess Lloyd hadn't figured out how to tell the bargaining committee that he had sold them out. Or maybe Neneki was just playing dumb.

The 1,200 workers are "Community Reps" who organize parents to get involved in their kids' education and also run the Parents' Centers at LA's public schools.

After learning about Lloyd's sell-out deal, workers confronted Local 99 officials. Two union officials (Linda Joseph and Maria Contreras) reportedly gave workers the run-around and then tried to blame the whole thing on staffers who no longer even work at the union.

Given his personal history, Bill Lloyd's top-down deal makes total sense. Andy Stern appointed Lloyd to run Local 99 after it was trusteed following a corruption scandal by a previous Stern appointee, Janett Humphries. Recently, Andy appointed Bill "Top-Down" Lloyd to be the president of the SEIU California State Council after the Stern's previous appointee, Annelle Grajeda, resigned because of her alleged involvement in steering tens of thousands of dollars of union members' dues money to her former boyfriend.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

More Genuis from the SEIU-UHW Communications Department

Check out this article about SEIU UHW put out a statement insinuating that the Boss at O'Conner Woods was intimidating residents at the assisted living facility by telling them that a union facility would charge the elderly more rent.

Except, see SEIU-UHW couldn't give any proof to back that claim up.

In Sternburger's humble opinion, Sinclair, the boss, probably did do it, but here is a little tip for Ariana Surfas and the gang over there: If you make an accusation, have some proof to back it up.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Remember when Andy Stern always used to say "The definition of insantity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?"


Nearly a year ago, SEIU, acting as the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of UniteHere, physically took over the HQ of UniteHere Local 24 in Detroit.

To refresh your memory, watch this video of rank and file members of Local 24.

And nearly a year later...


Local 24 won by a 16-4 vote in an NLRB election on a petition filed by SEIU to displace Local 24 in the food and beverage unit at the Northville Downs race track. Local 24 was one of SEIU's first targets, when they stormed Local 24's office last January, threw out the elected officers and shop stewards, and trashed Local 24's leaders.

The members and activists of Local 24 have fought back with overwhelming success, recapturing their office and squashing SEIU's raid attempts. SEIU has sought worker support in every Local 24 shop.

They reached the stage of filing NLRB petitions against Local 24 in three shops. In two of them, an airport concessions unit and the Detroit Athletic Club, SEIU withdrew a couple of days before the election, realizing they would lose. In Northville Downs, SEIU proceeded with the election, and Local 24 won a resounding victory.

Congratulations to all the members, activists, officers and staff of Local 24!

How many elections has SEIU lost to UniteHere so far?
When will they learn the lesson?
When will they stop the insanity?


Monday, November 23, 2009

UHW staff drink on the job!


And who can really blame them? Its gotta be depressing as hell to work there...

Oriana Saportas, who lists her job as "Organizer and Media Activist" at UHW took it easy on Friday afternoon with a little wine tasting in Sonoma.

Oriana, keep the hilarity coming on your facebook, k?

SEIU leader resigns...sick of lack of democracy...


See below the courageous email from Jose Escanuela, the president of SEIU Local 2007, announcing his resignation from a newly merged SEIU union because of his concerns about the lack of democracy inside SEIU.

Local 2007 is home to property service workers at Stanford University in California and was recently merged into a new mega-union, United Service Workers West, that received sharp criticism from union democracy advocates (See http://bensonsudblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-stage-in-super-bureaucratization-of.html ).

You may recall USWW's Secretary-Treasurer Eddie Iny, because if you try to call him he pretends to have the wrong number!

In this email to Andy Stern and other SEIU leaders, Escanuela, who comes from the rank and file, talks about a recent union election in California and why he is resigning his seat on the newly merged union.



From: Jose Escanuela <joseescanuela@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Garcia Vs SEIU, et al
To: garciam@seiulocal1877.org
Cc: "Alejandra Arostequi" <arosteguia@seiulocal1877.org>
, "Alison Webber" <alison@buildingskills.org>, "Ana Godina" <anaseiulocal247@aol.com>, "Andrea Dehlendorf" <Dehlendorfa@sbcglobal.net>, "Andrew Gross Gaitan" <agg1877@sbcglobal.net>, "Carlos Cordero" <Corderoc@seiulocal1877.org>, "Celia Rivera" <riverac@seiulocal1877.org>, "Cesar Diaz" <Diazc@seiulocal1877.org>, "Colin O'Leary" <Olearyc@seiulocal1877.org>, "Dave Hancock" <Dave.leo.hancock@gmail.com>, "David Cota" <Cotad@seiulocal1877.org>, "Delia Lopez" <lopezd@seiulocal1877.org>, "Denise Solis" <Solisa@seiulocal1877.org>, "Diana Ventura" <Venturad@seiulocal1877.org>, "Eduardo Cervantes" <eduardo@seiuit.org>, "Emily Heath" <heathe@seiulocal1877.org>, "Eric Lerner" <ericlernerseiu@earthlink.net>, "Eugenia Gutierrez" <Gutierreze@seiulocal1877.org>, "Greg Morales" <Greg_SEIU_247@yahoo.com>, "Grisel Rodriguez" <rodriguezg@seiulocal1877.org>, "Gustavo Garcia" <Garciag@seiulocal1877.org>, "Irma Guzman" <guzmani@seiulocal1877.org>, "Ivonne Pasaran" <pasarani@seiulocal1877.org>, "Jamie Thompson" <Thompsonj@seiulocal1877.org>, "Kareen Kanjo" <kareen@buildingskills.org>, "Karla Valdez" <valdezk@seiulocal1877.org>, "Keith Ward" <wardk@seiulocal1877.org>, "Keith Ward" <keithseiu247@gmail.com>, kiddplummer@gmail.com, "Larry Ball" <Larryb247@yahoo.com>, "Leilani Nguyen" <nguyenl@seiulocal1877.org>, "Lily Wang" <wangl@seiulocal1877.org>, "Maria Ledesma" <ledezmam@seiulocal1877.org>, "Mark Sharwood" <msharwood@aol.com>, "Martina Carrasco" <Carrascom@seiulocal1877.org>, "Mary Anne Hohenstein" <Hohensteinma@seiulocal1877.org>, "Mekahel Francois" <mekahel.francois@seiu-usww.org>, "Michael Mally" <Mallym@seiulocal1877.org>, "Miguel Romero" <romerom@seiulocal1877.org>, "'Oscar Granados'" <granadoso@seiulocal1877.org>, "Patricia Ocana" <ocanap@seiulocal1877.org>, "Rachele Huennekens" <Huennekensr@seiulocal1877.org>, "Raul Cardenas" <cardenasr@seiulocal1877.org>, "Rosalino Pedres" <Pedresr@seiulocal1877.org>, "Rose Auguste" <auguster@seiulocal1877.org>, "Samuel Kehinde" <kehindes@seiulocal1877.org>, "Sandra Garcia" <Garcias@seiulocal1877.org>, "Sylvia Ruiz" <Ruizs@seiulocal1877.org>, "Teddi Geanekoplos" <Geanekoplost@seiulocal1877.org>, "Teresita Cruz" <Teresitaseiu247@yahoo.com>, "Tim Brown" <Brownt@seiulocal1877.org>, "Tony Maldonado" <tonyseiu1877@aol.com>, "Troy Mickins" <Mickinst@seiulocal1877.org>, "Tyler French" <Frencht@seiulocal1877.org>, "Victor Enriquez" <Enriquezv@seiulocal1877.org>, "Whitfield McTair" <Mctairw@seiulocal1877.org>, "Sandra Garcia" <garcias@seiulocal1877.org>, andy.stern@seiu.org
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 7:03 PM


Mike,

When I read the communication that was sent out by the staff regarding Doroteo Garcia Vs SEIU Local 1877 USWW it made me sick to my stomach, but it also made me happy. Happy to know that some of my assumptions have been correct on what the current USWW leadership, some of the rank and file cronies and a large part of the staff think of rank and file members that choose to run for office, have a difference of opinion or question the practices and policies of our Union .

Assumptions that behind our back, and sometimes to our face; we the people
are called troublemakers, reformistas, anti SEIU members amongst others. I applaud Doroteo Garcia and the many others that stepped up as is their right to do so and chose to participate in the elections of Local 1877. I applaud them because they had the testicular fortitude to stand up and tell everyone in their Union that they too also have something to offer to make their Union stronger.

These elections resemble Mexico during the time of the Porfiriato and the
Anti-Reelection movement, because like the leaders of the country back in that period,
the current leadership of USWW and some of its locals work endlessly to create an illusion of democracy, while secretly ridiculing and working to quell all those that have opposing views. All we need to see now is the "Pan, o palo."

I see USWW as an increasingly systematic and methodical regime and in good conscience, as a member I can no longer allow or remain silent on my responsibility to the membership of USWW to act out of principle and speak out on the way that Doroteo Garcia and others on that slate are being portrayed by some of the USWW Leadership and staff.

I say this with no ill will, but with a deep sense of conviction. Therefore, my conscience leaves me no option but to resign my position as a member of the USWW Executive Board effective immediately

I will continue as President of my Local, and continue to abide by the

SEIU International Bylaws, USWW Bylaws, Local and Chapter Bylaws.



In Unity,



Jose N. Escanuela

SEIU Local 2007, President

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Happy Birthday, Andy Stern. (By 'happy' I mean...)


Everyone has a birthday, even anti-democracy jerks.

Here is what Andy is saying on his Facebook:

"Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. Celebrating in LA with 2000 home care workers who are reflecting on 10 year anniversary when 74,000 home care workers won the largest union election in modern labor history. Love these workers and they have built a great union."

Did Tyrone make the invite list?

Senor Sternburger would be happy for some pictures of this special event.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Some workers get to vote...All of them reject SEIU.

While the trusteeship of UHW and the war with UniteHere has almost totally derailed SEIU's organizing program there is still one place where organizers have enough time to try to recruit new members instead of begging or harassing workers to stay in SEIU: California's primer Long Term Care worker's union (aka Tyrone Freeman's cash cow)SEIU Local 6434. Lucky workers!

Sadly, the staff don't have the skills to help workers build a union and beat back the boss...For example a recent election at Sunny View Care Center in Los Angeles:

24 SEIU
28 NO

(hint to those health care workers at Sunny View: www.nuhw.org)


Maybe the staff are too focused on THEIR internal union election!

That is right, since Tyrone and his cronies have split, the Trustees have failed to befriend the staff. And thus the staff of 6434 "Homecare Workers Training Center" and "California United Homecare Workers" have filed for an election with CWA9000.

Wonder if that election will be blocked too? 6434 staff: email me so you can share your stories about life inside your workplace! tastysternburger@gmail.com

All of this information is available at your local NLRB, the government agency both SEIU and the Boss are using to keep workers in line!

First a Chicken Picket, Then an Egg Picket....Now a Pizza Picket.

On November 18th, SEIU UHW brought 45 large pizzas and dozens of paid SEIU staff to their sham picket at Sutter's Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. The problem is, almost no actual ABSMC workers showed up.

The picket was supposed to be part of SEIU UHW’s fake contract campaign but ABSMC workers, who are used to having hundreds of co-workers (not paid SEIU Staff) at their pickets, rejected SEIU’s attempt use them as cover while they bargain their contract behind their backs.

In fact, the picket - which never involved more than 12 workers at a time, was so bad that reported Sutter campaign leader and famous sell out Scott Washburn left after less than an hour, presumably to go back to the office and tell stories about when he used to be a real union organizer.

What happened to all the leftover pizza? Even though over 800 members work at the Summit campus of ABSMC, SEIU literally couldn't give their pizza away. Witnesses reported seeing paid SEIU staff walking back to their cars with 2 or 3 boxes each, but even after taking care of themselves SEIU staff had enough to give to Sutter's security guards.

Which food will star next in SEIU's food fight with it's own members?

Email your guesses to tastysternburger@gmail.com


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Eddie "Wrong Number" Iny


Watch Eddie Iny, the Secretary Treasurer of SEIU /USWW, pretend that Tarzana EVS workers have the wrong number. When they call him. On his phone number.

Its very brave for a Director at one of the largest unions of immigrant janitors to hide from cell phone wielding immigrant janitors.

Tarzana EVS workers voted for NUHW last month, but SEIU has filed blocking charges (surprise! they filed charges! what a new approach for them!) that have locked up the ballots. The workers can not find out the results of their election, because SEIU is afraid to have the votes counted!

SEIU's new slogan: Its us, or its nothin.' Here's the video:


SEIU SOLVES MAJOR HUMAN DILEMMA!


The Chicken came first!

November 16th, the Chicken appeared at the SF NUHW fundraiser.

November 17th, the EGG appeared at the LA NUHW fundraiser.

As guests were coming in, SEIU-UHW zombies threw EGGS at several guests. The chicken was no where to be seen, but the eggs were flying!

Another brilliant move: one of the "guests" who was egged was the vice president of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), one of the largest unions in Southern California that hosted the event at their union hall.

The zombies were relegated to the side walk down the street from the main entrance to the building, and police tape blocked them from picketing in front of the actual entrance.

They did have blaring lights that they flashed from the distance as people were walking in. If anyone attending the event was "neutral," SEIU's behavior changed all that when several guests walked in shocked at SEIU's behavior.

Check it out online.

Anyone have some pictures to share from the event in LA?


Thursday, November 12, 2009

I'd like that SternBurger TO GO.

Welcome one and all to our new blog SternBurger with Fries.

Inspired by an NUHW supporter's shirt, I am here to provide you with the tastiest gossip and information about Andy Stern, Anna Burger, all of their minion and all of their worker-hurting, democracy-hating, nausea-inducing actions.

So, if you have info, ideas, fun or pics to share about SEIU, its staff, its practices...well send on over!

tastysternburger@gmail.com


PS For those of you wondering, seems like PerezStern floated away in a silver balloon...Thanks to Perez for all the fun we had on that site, and will have on this site.