Tasty got the following e-mail from
a longtime rank-and-file leader and shop steward at SEIU-UHW, who says s/he
recently walked away from all involvement in the union because of its huge internal problems.
I am an avid reader and fan of your blog. I just knew I had to drop you a line after I read the Marcus Hatcher firing post.
I once upon a time was a labor leader within SEIU-UHW and held various leadership positions as a steward and… over [many years]. I [recently] walked away from all labor involvement. I resigned due to the behaviors you have spotlighted. I spoke out in my area for a long time about the unethical, racist, sexist, and outright disgusting behaviors that were openly acceptable within the Union. I was targeted at work and home for speaking out. I have been so disgusted by my Union's lack of leadership and shady financial dealings that for the 1st time in years of employment I became a fee payer in objection. Many of my coworkers felt the same, and also became beck objectors.
I have a paper trail with lots of tasty treats showing the harassment I went through for speaking the truth and calling out bad leaders. (car door keyed, followed/chased home, harassed on the unit multiple times by organizers, home egged, police reports, etc) Sadly, I know I am not the only member who was targeted and harassed for not blindly following and openly questioning corrupt, inept, and unethical labor "leaders", and what they do with our hard earned money. Also, please know that this destructive and greedy leadership mentality within the Union, is not just contained within UHW. This is a culture also existing within our good ole Coalition of KP Unions, as well as the half assed (and quite frankly embarrassing) Labor Management Partnership. I have witnessed and experienced many things in working directly with these people. It is 100% why I walked away and will never support any of these entities again. Your blogs are wonderful and hitting ALL the truth points!
I just would like to say, THANK YOU THANK YOU and THANK YOU for posting the truth and exposing for front-line members and others what really goes on at the purple palace! A lot of us have known for many years just how real and very serious these actions by leadership have been. There are so many people that have been terrorized and victimized by these people over the years. I can only hope that this validation brings some hope for accountability, change, and healing for those harmed by those who abused their titles and power. I knew many within the Union that turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the well known predatory and discriminatory actions of leadership in order to protect their cush, overpaid jobs. Shame on all of them!!
Goodbye and good riddance to egomaniacs like Marcus Hatcher and Mindy Sturge and any others involved! Hope this is the start of a domino effect and more firings are in the works. It's long overdue to expose the truths about just how widespread the greed, self entitlement, and frat boy pay to play mentalities that exist and are very much happening in SEIU UHW. - the overpaid salaries and benefits for these people that members pay for, and have shoved down our throats as the exemplary great Gods of the Union we should all be honored and expected to worship....(insert total sarcasm ;)
You are a voice for members like myself who can't openly say these things for fear of more retaliation and terror for speaking out.
In reading this member’s account, you
get a taste of the toxic culture that President Dave Regan has
brewed inside SEIU-UHW… including sexual
misconduct by top officials, overpaid and unaccountable union officials, and
a culture that targets internal critics with harassment, bullying and even
physical attacks.
Tasty is reminded of many earlier
posts about Regan’s “old
school ways,” SEIU-UHW staffers’ shout-downs designed to intimidate its own
members, “World
War III” strategies, attacks
against labor legend Dolores Huerta, death
threats targeting the union’s own members, and Regan’s infamous physical
assault against a process server in 2016.
If SEIU’s top officials sincerely
want to reform their union and make it democratic and accountable to workers, they need to fix these problems. Now!
