Michael Gaynor
Obama, Stern, Rathke, SEIU, ACORN intertwined
By Michael Gaynor
President Obama owes his presidency to Rathke's ACORN and its Project Vote affiliate and Stern's SEIU and Rathke is rightly concerned with the next presidential election, because voters have been discovering what the Obama/ACORN/SEIU agenda really involves.
WARNING: If you do not want to know about the connections between Barack Obama, SEIU and ACORN that the liberal media establishment disregards or downplays, DO NOT CONTINUE READING.
ACORN founder and Chief Organizer for more than 38 years Wade Rathke provided a peak at the Far Left relationships in his April 15, 20101 post at www.chieforganizer.org titled "Andy Stern and the Long Goodbye."
Rathke:
"... I watched the story unfold...of first reports that Andy Stern would resign as President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and then [had] a message from him by the time that I arrived at Dulles that there was a 'time to lead and a time to leave.' There seems to be rampant speculation about what all of this means for Stern, for SEIU, and for the labor movement. There should be concern at the White House and among the progressive forces as well....
"When Local 100 was part of SEIU, I served for 8 years on that board having been elected on Stern's slate during his first two terms before stepping down largely to move the Wal-Mart organizing pilots. I would not pretend to know what is on the agenda now and since Local 100 is no longer an affiliate of SEIU, I wouldn't know where to begin. I wouldn't pretend to be a fan of everything Andy has done, but that's the nature of the beast, nonetheless, if I were still on the board, I would be rising to speak in favor of the long goodbye for Stern.
"He's made his announcement and would be technically a lame duck, but I wouldn't worry about that within the SEIU culture. Speculation that he is being forced out is ridiculous. He may have had some folks knocking at his door in hopes for anointment, but the board is Andy's board from SEIUs Puerto Rican convention less than 2 years ago, and there's no pressure there for him to leave. His last couple of chapters may have been more fraught with conflict given the split from the AFL, which has accomplished so little, and the internal problems on the West Coast and with other former union allies in HERE, and there's a big hit coming whenever the final chapters of the problems with Tyrone Freeman in Los Angeles hit the front pages, but this is a guy who added 1.2 million members under his watch to all of the locals sitting around the big tables in whatever hotel is hosting the meeting, and he was the architect for about ½ million as Organizing Director under John Sweeney before he became International President. The Greenhouse article in the Times and some of the other pieces make it look like he's got legacy issues, but there are none inside SEIU. Andy could stay another dozen years probably before facing much real heat.
"In SEIU he's earned a long goodbye on his own terms. I'm not sure how the current rules work on a special election, but given what it took to unlodge Sweeney's successor, it's probably a quick turnaround. Andy should serve out his term for another two years and help in the hand off transition, the Obama re-election, and and the thousand other things on the 'want to do' list before he leaves. The successor might be a little fidgety, but given the polarization in American politics now, letting Andy be the lightening rod for some of that for another couple of years makes sense while the successor straps it up....
"We have few real leaders in labor, so no one should sweat the small stuff. Andy did the job and made a difference. SEIU would be crazy not to keep him for every day they can. I would move the 'long goodbye!'"
President Obama owes his presidency to Rathke's ACORN and its Project Vote affiliate and Stern's SEIU and Rathke is rightly concerned with the next presidential election, because voters have been discovering what the Obama/ACORN/SEIU agenda really involves.
Kyle Olson, "Sunlight on SEIU Part V: SEIU Target Bank of America is Recipient of Huge Interest Fees From the Union" (http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/04/16/sunlight-on-seiu-part-v-seiu-target-bank-of-america-is-recipient-of-huge-interest-fees-from-the-union/):
"Back in 2008, the SEIU took out a $90-plus million loan to fund its campaign activities, most notably, to elect Barack Obama president of the United States."
"With the exception of ObamaCare, the union has little to show for its investment in electing the current government. Only if it can pass immigration reform and card check will the union have more access to new lines of revenue (read: more unionized workers)."
Obamacare is a huge exception and the Obama administration will be trying to deliver on "immigration reform" and "card check."
SEIU lawyer Craig Becker was recess-appointed by President Obama as part of the implementation of the ACORN/SEIU agenda.
Set forth below is a post by Rathke written nearly a year ago (http://chieforganizer.org/2009/04/30/becker-to-the-nlrb/).
"Becker to the NLRB
"New Orleans Here's a big win no matter how you shake and bake it: Craig Becker being nominated for a seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)! This is not to say that we do not need labor law reform desperately, but having crossed paths with Craig for more than 20 years, finally we have a situation where a brilliant, effective, and pro-worker/pro-union lawyer will be on the NLRB.
"The thumbnail sketch would see Craig as a legal scholar having been a professor here and there with good union credentials having been listed as associate general counsel to SEIU for years as well no matter what else he was doing. All true and all good.
"For my money Craig's signal contribution has been his work in crafting and executing the legal strategies and protections which have allowed the effective organization of informal workers, and by this I mean home health care workers, under the protection of the National Labor Relations Act. The effective organization of informal workers — home health and home day care — has been the great, exceptional success story within the American labor movement for our generation, leading to the membership of perhaps a half-million such workers in unions like SEIU, AFSCME, CWA, and the AFT. Further this organizational work has led to increases in wages and benefits for such at-home workers across the board.
"Craig was the key lawyer from the beginning in the early 1980's who was able to piece together the arguments and representation that allowed those of us involved in trying to organize home health care workers in Illinois, Massachusetts, and elsewhere to beat back the arguments that such workers should be denied NLRA coverage because they were either self-employed or tainted by a co-employer situation where they might be quasi-public employees because they were directly reimbursed. His role was often behind the scenes devising the strategy with the organizer and lawyers, writing the briefs for others to file, and putting all of the pieces together, but he was the go-to-guy on all of this. I can remember Keith Kelleher negotiating the subsidy for SEIU Local 880 in Chicago and always making sure that there was the money for the organizers, but that SEIU was also still willing to allow access to Craig.
"Craig Becker will no longer be a secret weapon for workers at the NLRB, particularly informal workers who desperately need protections under labor law, but at least with him sitting on the board, there will finally once again be a fair and effective advocate and safeguard for workers. Thanks for a solid, President Obama!"
It took time and a recess appointment, but Becker is in place.
BEWARE! The secret ballot in unionization elections is in peril.
© Michael Gaynor
April 20, 2010
President Obama owes his presidency to Rathke's ACORN and its Project Vote affiliate and Stern's SEIU and Rathke is rightly concerned with the next presidential election, because voters have been discovering what the Obama/ACORN/SEIU agenda really involves.
WARNING: If you do not want to know about the connections between Barack Obama, SEIU and ACORN that the liberal media establishment disregards or downplays, DO NOT CONTINUE READING.
ACORN founder and Chief Organizer for more than 38 years Wade Rathke provided a peak at the Far Left relationships in his April 15, 20101 post at www.chieforganizer.org titled "Andy Stern and the Long Goodbye."
Rathke:
"... I watched the story unfold...of first reports that Andy Stern would resign as President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and then [had] a message from him by the time that I arrived at Dulles that there was a 'time to lead and a time to leave.' There seems to be rampant speculation about what all of this means for Stern, for SEIU, and for the labor movement. There should be concern at the White House and among the progressive forces as well....
"When Local 100 was part of SEIU, I served for 8 years on that board having been elected on Stern's slate during his first two terms before stepping down largely to move the Wal-Mart organizing pilots. I would not pretend to know what is on the agenda now and since Local 100 is no longer an affiliate of SEIU, I wouldn't know where to begin. I wouldn't pretend to be a fan of everything Andy has done, but that's the nature of the beast, nonetheless, if I were still on the board, I would be rising to speak in favor of the long goodbye for Stern.
"He's made his announcement and would be technically a lame duck, but I wouldn't worry about that within the SEIU culture. Speculation that he is being forced out is ridiculous. He may have had some folks knocking at his door in hopes for anointment, but the board is Andy's board from SEIUs Puerto Rican convention less than 2 years ago, and there's no pressure there for him to leave. His last couple of chapters may have been more fraught with conflict given the split from the AFL, which has accomplished so little, and the internal problems on the West Coast and with other former union allies in HERE, and there's a big hit coming whenever the final chapters of the problems with Tyrone Freeman in Los Angeles hit the front pages, but this is a guy who added 1.2 million members under his watch to all of the locals sitting around the big tables in whatever hotel is hosting the meeting, and he was the architect for about ½ million as Organizing Director under John Sweeney before he became International President. The Greenhouse article in the Times and some of the other pieces make it look like he's got legacy issues, but there are none inside SEIU. Andy could stay another dozen years probably before facing much real heat.
"In SEIU he's earned a long goodbye on his own terms. I'm not sure how the current rules work on a special election, but given what it took to unlodge Sweeney's successor, it's probably a quick turnaround. Andy should serve out his term for another two years and help in the hand off transition, the Obama re-election, and and the thousand other things on the 'want to do' list before he leaves. The successor might be a little fidgety, but given the polarization in American politics now, letting Andy be the lightening rod for some of that for another couple of years makes sense while the successor straps it up....
"We have few real leaders in labor, so no one should sweat the small stuff. Andy did the job and made a difference. SEIU would be crazy not to keep him for every day they can. I would move the 'long goodbye!'"
President Obama owes his presidency to Rathke's ACORN and its Project Vote affiliate and Stern's SEIU and Rathke is rightly concerned with the next presidential election, because voters have been discovering what the Obama/ACORN/SEIU agenda really involves.
Kyle Olson, "Sunlight on SEIU Part V: SEIU Target Bank of America is Recipient of Huge Interest Fees From the Union" (http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/04/16/sunlight-on-seiu-part-v-seiu-target-bank-of-america-is-recipient-of-huge-interest-fees-from-the-union/):
"Back in 2008, the SEIU took out a $90-plus million loan to fund its campaign activities, most notably, to elect Barack Obama president of the United States."
"With the exception of ObamaCare, the union has little to show for its investment in electing the current government. Only if it can pass immigration reform and card check will the union have more access to new lines of revenue (read: more unionized workers)."
Obamacare is a huge exception and the Obama administration will be trying to deliver on "immigration reform" and "card check."
SEIU lawyer Craig Becker was recess-appointed by President Obama as part of the implementation of the ACORN/SEIU agenda.
Set forth below is a post by Rathke written nearly a year ago (http://chieforganizer.org/2009/04/30/becker-to-the-nlrb/).
"Becker to the NLRB
"New Orleans Here's a big win no matter how you shake and bake it: Craig Becker being nominated for a seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)! This is not to say that we do not need labor law reform desperately, but having crossed paths with Craig for more than 20 years, finally we have a situation where a brilliant, effective, and pro-worker/pro-union lawyer will be on the NLRB.
"The thumbnail sketch would see Craig as a legal scholar having been a professor here and there with good union credentials having been listed as associate general counsel to SEIU for years as well no matter what else he was doing. All true and all good.
"For my money Craig's signal contribution has been his work in crafting and executing the legal strategies and protections which have allowed the effective organization of informal workers, and by this I mean home health care workers, under the protection of the National Labor Relations Act. The effective organization of informal workers — home health and home day care — has been the great, exceptional success story within the American labor movement for our generation, leading to the membership of perhaps a half-million such workers in unions like SEIU, AFSCME, CWA, and the AFT. Further this organizational work has led to increases in wages and benefits for such at-home workers across the board.
"Craig was the key lawyer from the beginning in the early 1980's who was able to piece together the arguments and representation that allowed those of us involved in trying to organize home health care workers in Illinois, Massachusetts, and elsewhere to beat back the arguments that such workers should be denied NLRA coverage because they were either self-employed or tainted by a co-employer situation where they might be quasi-public employees because they were directly reimbursed. His role was often behind the scenes devising the strategy with the organizer and lawyers, writing the briefs for others to file, and putting all of the pieces together, but he was the go-to-guy on all of this. I can remember Keith Kelleher negotiating the subsidy for SEIU Local 880 in Chicago and always making sure that there was the money for the organizers, but that SEIU was also still willing to allow access to Craig.
"Craig Becker will no longer be a secret weapon for workers at the NLRB, particularly informal workers who desperately need protections under labor law, but at least with him sitting on the board, there will finally once again be a fair and effective advocate and safeguard for workers. Thanks for a solid, President Obama!"
It took time and a recess appointment, but Becker is in place.
BEWARE! The secret ballot in unionization elections is in peril.
© Michael Gaynor
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