Damage Control – SEIU Tries to Distance Itself from ACORN

I believe that SEIU and ACORN have been wed together for so long it's nearly impossible for them to divorce. Stephen Spruiell has a great article in the National Review that sheds some light on that relationship.

But today, an article from the Houston Chronicle really caught my eye. SEIU has apparently revoked the charter of Local 100 - the ACORN founded and operated labor union.

You know you're in trouble when SEIU tries to run away from you. As I read the article it really struck me that SEIU is taking a lot of money from their members, but the leadership doesn't think very highly of them. They consider them "an odd mix of workers." If I were a dues paying member, I'd want more for my money.

Labor leader stays on the job despite losing charter

The nameplate on Orell Fitzsimmons' desk still says Service Employees International Union.

The union's Web site address is still SEIU100.org. And the longtime Houston labor leader still says "us" when he is referring to the big international union.

For two decades, Fitzsimmons has been the voice of SEIU in Houston as he organized food service, janitorial and other public sector workers. That changed when the international union revoked Local 100's charter last month.

But Fitzsimmons hasn't gone away. The local union, which ACORN founder Wade Rathke launched and still oversees, has gone back to its roots.

The 4,000-member union, including 1,900 in Houston, is again called United Labor Unions Local 100, the name Rathke first used in 1980 when he expanded ACORN's community organizing model to public sector workers in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. ACORN is the national community organization that has drawn fire for alleged misbehavior by some employees, former officers and voter registration contractors.

Michelle Ringuette, director of external communications for SEIU in Washington, said Local 100 comprises an "odd mix of workers," including many public sector workers who don't have collective bargaining rights.

Ringuette also said the local isn't financially viable — a claim Fitzsimmons disputes.

If anything, he said, the new union — which has only one local — is in a stronger position because it doesn't have to pay monthly dues of $7.50 per member to the SEIU.

For a typical food service employee paying $18 a month in union dues, that left the local with only $10.50 a month from that member to cover union expenses.

See the full story here.