For years California was a real issue for Andy Stern and his crew in DC. Most of the union's membership was here, but there were so many locals and many local leaders to deal with. As we know, nothing drives Andy Stern more nuts than local union presidents who don't owe him anything!
So about 3 years ago, Andy combined a bunch of Cali locals and appointed presidents to the new locals, effectively eliminating internal elections for sometime.
At Local 1021 (Northern California public sector workers) the members were not impressed with Stern's appointee Damita Davis-Howard. And this past week, they voted her ass out. In fact, they voted 26 of the 28 elected positions out and the reform slate in.
For a full history written by a 1021 member and winner in this election read Larry Bradshaw's article in Labor Notes.
But make no mistake, this is a huge victory for SEIU members all over the country who want accountable democratic locals.
Congrats, reformers! But be careful, Andy knows what to do if you get out of line. Trusteeship!
