LaborPains.org

SEIU officials caught the world off-guard when they marched down to Houston and badgered their way into representing 5,000 janitors. Not that the drive was very successful, as it netted an unimpressive contract including a clause allowing employers to pay non-union wages whenever the cleaning firm competes against a non-union employer (which is pretty much anytime). Nonetheless, SEIU is taking its power-play tactics down the road to San Antonio, where the union’s attempt to force through a law making it easier to win expensive contracts for city employees (making the cost of government higher and higher). Public opinion is decidedly against the union bosses’ ploy.

Yesterday’s San Antonio Express-News carried an editorial succinctly summing up the issue: “The whole exercise is unnecessary and boils down to a power grab by the SEIU.” And a columnist offered the insights of a transplanted Californian all too experienced with SEIU’s tactics. Recounting the Houston experience, the columnist concludes:

The newcomer from California said he believes the consequences for San Antonians will ultimately include “expensive and to-hell-with-you” city government.

Not to mention office takeovers, blocked streets and memorable visits from bellicose out-of-town SEIU bosses with little to lose and a whole lot of Alamo City lucre to gain.

Stepping to the microphone during Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the gallingly misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act” will be Lawrence Mishel, head of the Economic Policy Institute. He may have the toughest job of all – to make union bosses’ math work so that 2 + 2 equals a banana. But it’s his job, because the “Institute” is little more than a front for labor leaders, who are desperate to push EFCA through Congress as a last-ditch effort to stave off declining membership.

The funding for the “Institute” is a who’s who of union largesse:

• $150,000 from the AFL-CIO, according to its most recent financial disclosure to the Department of Labor
• As The Wall Street Journal noted in October, “The Economic Policy Institute received $100,000 from the SEIU and $40,000 from the UFCW in 2005” – UFCW’s new financial figures from last week show another $48,000 for 2006
• $150,000 from the National Education Association for its 2006 fiscal year
• An eye-popping $550,000 from the American Federation of Teachers in 2005, plus another $160,000 in 2006

A quick look at the organization’s board of directors is even more telling. Gerald McEntee, the well-paid boss of AFSCME, is the chairman of the board. Here are some of the members of the labor front’s illustrious board:

• Machinists president Thomas Buffenbarger
• CWA president Larry Cohen
• Steelworkers president Leo Gerard
• UAW president Ron Gettelfinger
• AFT president Ed McElroy
• AFL-CIO number-two Richard “I Plead the Fifth” Trumka
• UNITE HERE president Bruce Raynor
• SEIU president Andy Stern

Since we launched the Center for Union Facts a little over a year ago, we’ve attracted 2.5 million unique visitors to the website. Our greatest fans seem to be union members themselves. But they’re not alone. We’ve received thousands of visits from … union bosses! Topping our list of visits from union offices are the good folks from the United Auto Workers, with a very healthy showing by staff from the National Education Association and AFSCME. (Click here to see the popular YouTube parody of AFSCME, but be warned: it’s seriously adult language.) Thanks, guys, we’ll help reform you yet!

What keeps bringing the crowd? Some people think it’s the information on finding your own union. Some think it’s the great information on where members’ political money goes, and still others think it’s our documentation of unfair labor practices.

Those are great, but I still love the ads.

Production workers at Alpha Baking Co. in Cudahy will vote March 30 whether to decertify Teamsters Local 344 as its collective bargaining representative.

This morning’s New York Post features an editorial on New York City’s “rubber rooms” for teachers and school administrators who are too wretched to work but too unionized to be fired. We covered the “rubber-room teachers need respect, too” campaign last week, but the Post has since turned up some examples of the remarkable union-defended teachers that the district hasn’t yet been able to fire:

• Yvonne Challom has been, ahem, “reassigned” since April 2004. The tenured teacher was caught making “Columbine-like threats” to her school. Even after her conviction for aggressive harassment, a court ruling says that the Department of Education can’t fire her until all her appeals are exhausted.
• Allen Rosenfeld is a tenured teacher “reassigned” for perpetually leering at girls as they exited the bathroom. He’s been in his room since September 2003.
• Francisco Olivares is a tenured teacher with multiple sex charges filed against him since 1989. He’s been “reassigned” since at least January 2003 (a change in computer records makes it hard to assess exactly how long he’s been “rubberized”).