Back in May, staff at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) national headquarters made headlines after authorizing a strike against their employer over failed contract negotiations. The media coverage on the subject may have died out, but striking employees – and members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 – continue to speak out on Twitter, telling the SEIU to “practice what they preach” and to end the union’s hypocritical union busting.  

Things have apparently gotten so bad for employees at the SEIU headquarters that SEIU affiliate union Workers United even spoke out about the poor treatment. 

On Aug. 9, 2023, the unionized staffers released some numbers on the SEIU’s union busting, The stats speak for themselves: 

• Local 2 wages at SEIU account for just 2% of SEIU’s yearly budget.
• There are five managers for every one local 2 staffer at SEIU.
• SEIU management has cut local 2’s size by two-thirds in the past 20 years. 
• In 2022, SEIU’s top officers made more than the entire union staff of SEIU benefit funds combined.
• A Local 2 staffer earning an average salary at SEIU Benefit Funds could receive a 280% raise and still earn less than Mary Kay Henry.
• In 2022, SEIU spent 7 times more on managers and non-bargaining unit staff than on Local 2. 
• SEIU spent $35,000,000 on consultants in 2021. 5 times more than on its own Local 2 staff.

These workers have even been joined by staff members of the AFGE, CWA, and AFSCME. 

At this point, SEIU staff members have been working under an expired contract for nearly a year.

If one thing is clear, it’s that the SEIU needs to start treating its employees fairly and put an end to the union’s hypocrisy that is currently on full display.