SEIU-UHW's Leon Chow in Media Spotlight... Soon!

Sources tell Tasty that a journalist has uncovered some revealing information about Leon Chow that promises to spark controvery in San Francisco's political world. Tasty hears an article containing the journalist's findings will be published in the next 24 hours.

Leon Chow is a top official at SEIU-UHW who's attempting to unseat John Avalos, one of the most progressive members of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. Chow's campaign -- which is being bankrolled by downtown business interests and SEIU-UHW -- is reportedly a central part of a strategy by Dave Regan and his business allies to dramatically alter the balance of power on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors by unseating progressives and replacing them with business-backed candidates.

As readers might imagine, Chow's candidacy has already sparked tons of controversy in San Francisco... and even inside SEIU. Tasty earlier reported on this internal email authored by officials at SEIU Local 1021, including former S.F. Supervisor Chris Daly. Local 1021 represents thousands of San Francisco's public employees. In the email, circulated last month, officials at Local 1021 described the harmful role that SEIU-UHW is playing in San Francisco's politics:

UHW’s political alliance with San Francisco business interests through the Alliance for Jobs has not just been an issue for Labor, it has been a problem for the entire progressive community. Since UHW’s trusteeship, victories for progressives in San Francisco have been few and far between. We don’t think that this timing is a coincidence. With Labor united, we face a very tough fight against downtown interests. With the City’s largest local on the other side, we stand hardly a chance.

Of course, Chow's business-funded campaign to unseat Sup. John Avalos is just the latest effort by the unholy alliance between SEIU-UHW's Dave Regan and his Big Business buddies. Fortunately, Tasty hears that a journalist has uncovered revealing details about Chow. Stay tuned! If Tasty's sources are right, the story should hit the streets in the next 24 hours. 

Leaked SEIU Email Offers Exposé on Dave Regan

Remember the secret deal to create “political unity” between SEIU-UHW and SEIU Local 1021 in San Francisco? Ten days ago, Tasty posted a copy of the deal, which prompted coverage in a local newspaper and reactions by union members.

So what are officials at Local 1021 saying about the deal?

A source forwarded an internal email sent by three of Local 1021’s officials -- Chris Daly (Political Director and former S.F. County Supervisor), Larry Bradshaw (3rd Vice President) and Alysabeth Alexander (PAC Chair) -- to Local 1021’s SF COPE delegates. The COPE delegates are responsible for reviewing and approving the draft deal.

The email, sent June 7, offers a revealing glimpse at Local 1021 officials’ opinions about Dave Regan. Readers are no doubt aware of all the criticism of “Wall Street Dave” for cozying up to Bosses, selling out workers, and trying to crush democracy like an insect under his boot.

But what do officials at SEIU Local 1021 actually think about Regan? Check out the following excerpts from the email (Tasty posted the complete email below). A couple of quick notes on the text: “Roxanne” refers to Roxanne Sanchez, the president of SEIU Local 1021. “The Healthy SF loophole” refers to this act of political treachery carried out by SEIU-UHW's Dave Regan and Leon Chow.

earlier this year, our President began having discussions with the President of UHW, Dave Reagan, and the President of the International, Mary Kay Henry, to talk about the differences between our Locals. In these conversations, Roxanne forcefully and repeatedly pointed out the inconsistencies of our sister local in their organizational philosophy and political program. She pressed Reagan on how UHW’s engagement was compromising 1021’s position and progressive politics in San Francisco, where we have been organizing from the bottom up to build a political movement of the 99% that has been challenging corporate power…

During the discussions, 1021 clearly laid out our issues with UHW. We challenged their leadership for their position in opposing the Healthy SF loophole closure and for supporting pro-downtown candidates that support contracting out against candidates that support all workers in public sector and private health care and IHSS. We also challenged them on their anti-SF Labor Council stance.  It’s clear that their leadership was uncomfortable being challenged on these issues in front of their members who were not aware that these things had happened.  That’s not to say we’re turning UHW into a democratic union, but we must provide some framework for internal-SEIU accountability for what UHW has done and is doing in SF…

UHW’s political alliance with San Francisco business interests through the Alliance for Jobs has not just been an issue for Labor, it has been a problem for the entire progressive community. Since UHW’s trusteeship, victories for progressives in San Francisco have been few and far between. We don’t think that this timing is a coincidence. With Labor united, we face a very tough fight against downtown interests. With the City’s largest local on the other side, we stand hardly a chance.

That's quite a picture that union officials have painted of Dave Regan: undemocratic, pro-business, anti-SF labor council, anti-health reform, a supporter of subcontracting workers' jobs. It's no wonder that SEIU-UHW's rank-and-file members have given Regan the title of "Wall Street Dave." He's pretty much “the 1%”... and he's even got a $300,000-a-year salary to prove it! 

Here's the full text of the email: 

 Email from SEIU Local 1021 about SEIU-UHW's Dave Regan and Proposed Political Alliance 6-07-2012

Source Leaks Secret Political Deal between SEIU-UHW and SEIU Local 1021 in California

Dave Regan and Roxanne Sanchez

Tasty has learned that Dave Regan, Josie Mooney, Mary Kay Henry and Roxanne Sanchez have drafted a secret deal to forge “political unity” between SEIU-UHW and SEIU Local 1021. The latter union represents 42,000 public-sector workers in Northern California -- including workers in San Francisco -- and Sanchez is the union's president.

Here’s what’s going on.

Since SEIU’s disastrous trusteeship of SEIU-UHW in 2009, Local 1021 and SEIU-UHW have repeatedly clashed. Regan, who was parachuted in from Ohio, has steered SEIU-UHW far to the right. For example, “Wall Street” Dave has eliminated workers’ pension plans at the bargaining table even as Local 1021 fights to maintain them. 

And in politics, Regan has teamed up with San Francisco’s Chamber of Commerce to fund business-friendly politicians against progressive candidates backed by Local 1021 and the San Francisco labor council.

And that’s just the beginning. 

Regan and Leon Chow (an SEIU-UHW staffer) undermined San Francisco’s universal healthcare legislation, which was a key legislative priority of Local 1021. The cutting-edge law is designed to force businesses to provide health insurance to their employees.

And Regan opposed a community-based coalition -- which includes Local 1021 -- that’s been working to hold the giant Sutter Health corporation accountable on jobs, housing and services for the poor. The two unions have even locked horns at San Francisco’s labor council, where Regan has won few friends by threatening the city’s labor leaders, including UNITE HERE's Mike Casey.

And here’s a crystallizing contrast:  While Local 1021 pushes for progressive tax legislation in San Francisco, Regan cavorts with the 1% at the Chamber of Commerce… which is waging economic warfare against the city’s workers.

So what’s inside the secret deal between the two unions? (See the full agreement below). Well, it basically would force the two unions to make joint endorsements of political candidates and ballot initiatives. Previously, rank-and-file union members voted to endorse candidates and ballot propositions. But under SEIU's “political unity” deal, each union would get one vote in determining an endorsement. If the two unions can’t agree, then SEIU’s Mary Kay Henry would control a third, tie-breaking vote.

So what does this mean? Sources say it represents a giant giveaway by Roxanne Sanchez. One person put it this way: 

If you’re Local 1021, why would you sign this deal? Local 1021 is a big political player in San Francisco with lots of members, money and foot soldiers. Regan has shown again and again that he’s hostile to the priorities of Local 1021’s members. Basically, he’s bedded down with the business community. So, if you’re Sanchez, why would you agree to this so-called "unity" deal? It hands over control of Local 1021's political destiny to Regan and some SEIU bureaucrat in DC. Plus, when push comes to shove, everyone knows that Mary Kay Henry is going to back Regan over Sanchez. If Local 1021 accepts this deal, they're basically declaring unilateral disarmament as far as their political future.

So why would Sanchez accept such a bad deal? Tasty guesses the agreement comes with unpublished side deals that will allow Sanchez to pocket unspecified benefits in exchange for trading away her union’s political independence.

Another interesting detail:  The deal mentions former San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly. Daly was termed out of political office and now serves as Local 1021’s Political Director. Sources says it’s especially ironic that Daly, who helped lead the progressive wing of San Francisco politics, will now be responsible for implementing a deal that’s gonna destroy the city’s progressives.

What’s next? According to paragraph 15 (see below), the deal will be presented to Local 1021’s COPE Committee on June 7.

Framework for Agreement between SEIU Local 1021 and SEIU-UHW on Political Unity - May2012