A Strike at the Purple Palace?

Office workers picket SEIU's H.Q.

Tension is brewing inside the Purple Palace between clerical workers and fat-cat officials like Mary Kay Henry and Eliseo Medina, according to an article on an AFL-CIO website.

Yesterday, clerical workers picketed SEIU’s headquarters after Mary Kay Henry demanded a three-year wage freeze for the office workers! 

Approximately 150 of the Purple Palace’s clerical, technical and professional workers are members of OPEIU Local 2 and are in contract negotiations with SEIU’s top officials.

So much for SEIU’s slogan of “Justice for All.” Last year, President Mary Kay Henry and Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina took home a combined salary of $620,000. Meanwhile, their fancy executive suites -- located behind locked doors on the top floor of the Purple Palace -- carefully shelter them from the 99% who type their memos. 

Strike, anyone?

SEIU Staffers Rally for Contract  

Thursday, September 13, 2012

SEIU staffers staged a lunchtime picket at the union’s Dupont Circle headquarters Wednesday to demand a fair contract. “If SEIU was hurting financially, things would be different,” said Virginia Rodino, Chief Steward for the 148-member OPEIU Local 2 unit at SEIU. “But they just got done at our national convention saying how well they’re doing, so to demand a 3-year wage freeze just feels like a slap in the face to staff who are so dedicated to the union and to the movement.” Local 2 represents professional, technical and clerical workers at SEIU and SEIU’s pension fund. The workers voted earlier this week to reject SEIU’s latest contract proposal and authorized a strike. “We’re waiting to hear back from management and hope to return to the table soon and work things out,” said Local 2 President Dan Dyer.