Michelle Malkin » Victory against Big Labor: Home health providers reject SEIU, AFSCME power grab

Victory against Big Labor: Home health providers reject SEIU, AFSCME power grab

By Michelle Malkin • October 19, 2009 04:56 PM

Over the past two weeks, I’ve reported on the grass-roots revolt by home health providers against the SEIU and rival AFSCME in Illinois.

SEIU-endorsed Gov. Pat Quinn signed an executive order in June approving collective bargaining by “individual providers of home-based support services” — effectively busting open the doors of private homes for the Purple Shirts of the SEIU and other union competitors hungry for new dues-paying members. SEIU and its minions leaned hard on providers to join — even sending out-of-state workers to intrude on families with the promise of juicy benefits and health care coverage. Democrat officials tried to intimidate parents like Pam Harris into silence over their efforts to inform providers that they could vote for no representation.

The thuggery backfired. Bigtime.

The votes were counted today and despite Big Labor’s massive coffers, manpower, and out-of-state propaganda campaign, the unionization effort was an epic fail. Here’s an exclusive look at the breakdown:

SEIU – 293 votes
AFSCME – 220 votes
NO UNION – 1018 votes

The local CBS affiliate adds:

Illinois workers who are paid by the state to care for severely disabled people in their homes have voted down an effort to unionize.

More than 3,000 home health care workers mailed in their ballots this month; the ballots were counted on Monday and most of those workers voted not to join a union, according to Alan Symonette, an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, which counted the vote.

The workers could have voted to join the American Federation of State, county of Municipal Employees or the Service Employees International Union, but more than half of them voted to remain non-union.

The vote came after Gov. Pat Quinn signed an executive order paving the way for home health care workers – most of whom care for their own family members – to decide if they should unionize and collectively bargain with the state on how much funding they receive.

Representatives of AFSCME and SEIU did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

This is a teachable moment for home health providers in other states. The power-hungry unions’ home invasion tactics have worked in the past. But they can be defeated.

Be alert, be informed, and be ready to fight back. Knowledge is power.

***

The NLRB nomination of SEIU heavy Craig Becker need for increased vigilance, via the WSJ:

One of Big Labor’s priorities in Washington is to place allies in key government jobs where they can overturn existing labor policy without battles in Congress. This is a very good reason for the Senate to hold a hearing on the nomination of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Mr. Becker is associate general counsel at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which is most recently in the news for its close ties to Acorn, the disgraced housing shakedown operation. President Obama nominated Mr. Becker in April to the five-member NLRB, which has the critical job of supervising union elections, investigating labor practices, and interpreting the National Labor Relations Act. In a 1993 Minnesota Law Review article, written when he was a UCLA professor, Mr. Becker argued for rewriting current union-election rules in favor of labor. And he suggested the NLRB could do this by regulatory fiat, without a vote of Congress.

Yet now that he could soon have the power to act on this conviction, Mr. Becker won’t tell Congress if this is what he still believes. In written responses to questions from Republican Orrin Hatch, Mr. Becker promised only to “maintain an open mind about whether [his] suggestions should be implemented in any manner.” That sounds like his mind is made up but he won’t admit it lest it hurt his confirmation.

Mr. Becker also won’t give a clear answer about his role in preparing several pro-labor executive orders issued by President Obama shortly after inauguration. Mr. Becker’s name was found in at least one of the documents, suggesting that he had written it.

When asked by Sen. Hatch if he was “involved or responsible in any way” for these executive orders, Mr. Becker responded: “I was not responsible for [the specific executive orders] except as described below. As a member of the Presidential Transition Team, I was asked to provide advice and information concerning a possible executive order of the sort described. I was involved in researching, analyzing, preliminary drafting, and consulting with other members of the Transition team.” In other words, Mr. Becker was the main author but would rather not say so explicitly.

Why not? Well, perhaps because Mr. Becker seems to have been on the SEIU payroll at the time he did his “drafting.” Many people take leaves of absence from their private jobs when serving on a transition team, but Mr. Becker says he was on “vacation.” And his “vacation” seems to have been sporadic. “My work on the Transition Team was not full time or continuous . . . When I was not on vacation in order to work on the Transition Team, I continued to perform my regular work for both SEIU and the AFL-CIO.” The White House has made a public show of banning paid lobbyists from certain Administration jobs, but it let a paid union operative draft government documents benefiting unions.

There’s more. One of the many accusations leveled against former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is that he accepted money from the SEIU in return for taking actions giving collective bargaining rights to Illinois home health-care workers. While Mr. Becker denies any knowledge of, or role in, contributions to the former Governor, he does admit that he provided “advice and counsel to SEIU relating to proposed executive orders and proposed legislation giving homecare workers a right to organize and engage in collective bargaining under state law.”

Mr. Becker says he “worked with and provided advice” to SEIU Local 880 in Chicago, a beneficiary of the newly unionized health workers, and one of two SEIU locals currently in the national spotlight for its deep ties with Acorn.

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Posted in: SEIU,Unions

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Comments

#1

On October 19th, 2009 at 4:59 pm, Flyoverman said:

…..Till they glow…..
#2

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, zyzzyg said:

Good for them. A vote was held and they made their choice. Nothing wrong with voting.
#3

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:01 pm, steveegg said:

That’s another exhibit on why the secret ballot must be maintained. Anybody care to guess the results if card check had been in force?
#4

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:07 pm, jjmurphy said:

Ahhhhhh…a little bit of sanity in an insane world.
#5

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:07 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

They’ll keep trying. Some people don’t take No for an answer.
#6

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pm, Lindsay said:

Excellent news!
#7

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:14 pm, tiredofit08 said:

excellent news indeed…now we need to royally reject everything else this administration is trying to do on a much larger scale….
#8

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:17 pm, Drained Brain said:

Yes, I love good news for a change, and for some reason the Nobel Peace Prize announcement, like Cracker Jack, left me hungering for even better news.
#9

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:22 pm, spaceycakes said:

smells like…victory.
#10

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:28 pm, cabrerski said:

In Illinois???????

Is it a record cold snap in Hell?

Did I just see a pig on final at Sky Harbor Airport?

Wow…I am stunned…pleased, but stunned…
#11

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm, beenthere said:

Victory against Big Labor: Home health providers reject SEIU, AFSCME power grab

And it is a victory but the struggle against the labor fronts is just beginning. SEIU and its friends will be back one way or another, again and again. They have money, media, and all the power of the state (big and small) behind them to get what they want — forced unionization. I hope the home health providers understand this. They won the first battle, but there are a lot more to come.
#12

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:53 pm, walterc said:

Finally some good news.

I think the good ship AMERICA is slowly turning.
#13

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:57 pm, tiredofit08 said:

off topic from politico….

Finance Committee bill has been filed

Senate Finance Committee members have been notified that the committee’s health reform bill was filed today. S. 1796 weighs in at 1,502 pages, according to a Senate Republican leadership source. It’s still not up yet on the Finance Committee website or Thomas.gov. We’ll post a link as soon as we get one.
#14

On October 19th, 2009 at 6:10 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

Why is it even legal to unionize against the government (taxpayers?). At least, government employee unions should be banned from making political contributions. It is such a blatant and inherently corrupt conflict of interests.
#15

On October 19th, 2009 at 6:12 pm, Cameron said:

Until the union fangs are pulled and the roots cauterized, they are not going to give up just because of a setback like this. But it is nice to see the good guys win.
#16

On October 19th, 2009 at 6:31 pm, vickisoup said:

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:01 pm, steveegg said:
That’s another exhibit on why the secret ballot must be maintained. Anybody care to guess the results if card check had been in force?

I would love it if the SEIU tried to get me to unionize and I was under
card check. I’d proudly vote “no” and send it in an envelope addressed to, “F.U. S.E.I.U”.
#17

On October 19th, 2009 at 6:33 pm, Joshsmompam said:

Everyone who reads Michelle’s blog and column contributed to our victory! Michelle Malkin has championed this effort for months now and without her, I don’t think we would have achieved this level of success.

Thank you, all.
#18

On October 19th, 2009 at 6:50 pm, Dimsdale said:

That is the only good place for the SEIU purple stain: on the bottom of your shoe, to be scraped off like a turd.
#19

On October 19th, 2009 at 7:03 pm, traveler49 said:

The workers could have voted to join the American Federation of State, county of Municipal Employees or the Service Employees International Union, but more than half of them voted to remain non-union.

Yah, just a little more than half, like maybe over twice.
#20

On October 19th, 2009 at 7:10 pm, flmom said:

Joshsmompam said:

I think you have to pat yourself on the back too. Without your voice, this would have gone under the radar. You are proof that even if you feel overwhelmed by the power of Washington and money, just speaking up will let you know there are others that share your views and will mobilize to watch your back. As Glenn Beck would say, you spoke without fear and asked the questions. You are living proof that we can all make a difference. Way to go Pam!
#21

On October 19th, 2009 at 7:12 pm, Rorschach said:

Nice how the CBS affiliate simply said over half, not by a 2/3 margin….
#22

On October 19th, 2009 at 7:12 pm, letget said:

These purple people eaters can go down the tube with acron and bho. The sleeping giant has finally gotten our act together. Thank All of you. That means you Michelle also!
L
#23

On October 19th, 2009 at 7:43 pm, mattm said:

Unions and health care scare me. Too much room for incompetence to go unpunished with life or death issues.
#24

On October 19th, 2009 at 8:05 pm, ciceroskip said:

If the vote would have been 52% to 48 % for a union the press would have reported it as a landslide, but a 2 to 1 margin of rejection is a “more than half” the voters!!!
#25

On October 19th, 2009 at 8:28 pm, happyscrapper said:

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, zyzzyg said:
Good for them. A vote was held and they made their choice. Nothing wrong with voting.

Wow, zyzz…that is one of your more profound statements. Nothing wrong with voting. Wow. I am impressed.
#26

On October 19th, 2009 at 9:29 pm, Republicanvet said:

SEIU – 293 votes
AFSCME – 220 votes
NO UNION – 1018 votes

Absolutely superb. Gives one hope.

Now I wonder if the politicians that enabled this mind-boggling stupidity take notice.

Or not, just vote them out.

Is there a union for out of work politicians?
#27

On October 19th, 2009 at 9:53 pm, Bigurn said:

What strikes me is the number of unreturned votes. There is nothing so striking as abject disinterest.
#28

On October 19th, 2009 at 10:07 pm, Little Ma said:

Thanks for keeping us aware, Michelle.

Great work, Pam!
#29

On October 19th, 2009 at 10:07 pm, Flar said:

Is there a union for out of work politicians?

Local 13, Villains, Thieves and Scoundrels Union
#30

On October 19th, 2009 at 10:17 pm, Republicanvet said:

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:07 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

They’ll keep trying. Some people don’t take No for an answer.

I wonder if those who will be harassed about unionizing can get a restraining order, or sue to state for releasing their information in the first place.
#31

On October 19th, 2009 at 10:17 pm, Republicanvet said:

sue to = sue the
#32

On October 19th, 2009 at 11:03 pm, ThunderHawkk said:

It’s only about a 725 vote difference. I expect a recount and for SEIU to find about 726 new votes.
#33

On October 19th, 2009 at 11:35 pm, fmfnavydoc said:

Great news! Nice way for the people of IL to “stick it to DA MAN” AKA: the unions.

BTW – October 20th is not only my birthday, but Michelle’s. Please take a moment and wish her a happy birthday (I’m doing it now because, in Riyadh it is October 20th as of this post)!
#34

On October 19th, 2009 at 11:40 pm, olbroad said:

It does give one REAL hope, doesn’t it.
#35

On October 20th, 2009 at 12:58 am, SHoward said:

On October 19th, 2009 at 8:28 pm, happyscrapper said:

Yeah, that’s another one of Z’s ‘master of the obvious’ moments. I think he’s a pointy-haired boss somewhere.
#36

On October 20th, 2009 at 6:47 am, WarTip said:

Well it is nice to score one for the good guys every now and then and this is certainly cause to celebrate … for now. However, I do not think they will give up too easily. As has been mentioned before, even if they do not have the support of the taxpayer they do have taxpayer funding to pursue their misguided interests.

Back in the days of the company store there was a need for Unions. It seems as if now the Unions want to reinstate the company store (See the old Coal Mining shanty towns in West Virginia) with the Unions running the “shop” this time around.

On October 19th, 2009 at 4:59 pm, Flyoverman said:

…..Till they glow…..

The original quote I believe is “Nuke ‘em ’til they glow and shoot ‘em in the dark!” but given the possibility of seeing this in our lifetimes … I think it is safe to say that none of us want this … lest someone missed the sarcasm of the exaggeration here.
#37

On October 20th, 2009 at 8:28 am, Veretax said:

Isn’t the real story here how a REAL vote was held, and if Card Check was in place the majority likely would not have been served?
#38

On October 20th, 2009 at 8:32 am, tre said:

Obviously, the Purple Shirts just didn’t try hard enough. Next time, they’ll stuff the ballot box with “Yes” votes from Bill Fold, Jim Nasium, Chester Drawz, Kitty Litter, Ken Hartley Reed,…..
#39

On October 20th, 2009 at 8:51 am, flaming_o said:

On October 19th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, zyzzyg said:

… Nothing wrong with voting.

Damning with faint praise, methinks.

Personally, I love the smell of victory in the morning. It smells like napalm.
#40

On October 20th, 2009 at 8:56 am, Jimmie said:

You know…if they could get rid of that pesky secret ballot and make everyone vote openly in front of a big guy in a purple T-shirt with a baseball bat in hand….I think they could turn this result around
#41

On October 20th, 2009 at 9:14 am, Jarhead said:

Michelle from our family I would like to wish you a very Happy Birthday
#42

On October 20th, 2009 at 9:25 am, valleygreaser said:

Happy Birthday, Michelle! BTW it is mine, also.
#43

On October 20th, 2009 at 9:38 am, dan708 said:

This is priceless! Obama’s buddies meet defeat in HIS HOME BASE! Hopefully, the same fate is awaiting card-check in Washington.
#44

On October 20th, 2009 at 9:48 am, DamnCat said:

Holy cats! Maybe there is hope for my home state.

Thanks, Michelle, for shining the spotlight on this issue and providing encouragement to so many Illinois home health care providers.
#45

On October 20th, 2009 at 9:52 am, no2pcbs1 said:

seiu and afscme are typical garbage unions lacking ethics and credibility while attempting to force all they can find to support their crap filled organizations. unions bring nothing to the table, they have outlived their usefulness.
#46

On October 20th, 2009 at 9:59 am, ctmom said:

Thank God. Thanks Michelle for keeping up with this story. There is so much going on I can’t keep up with it all myself.
#47

On October 20th, 2009 at 11:32 am, NJ-Aviator said:

That’s good news, but they’ll be back with another attempt.

They’ll try to rig the ballot question so it insures the union’s desired outcome. That’s being done in a ballot somewhere. I’m trying to recall what that other vote was about. It was pretty despicable though.
#48

On October 20th, 2009 at 11:40 am, jwm said:

This is a response to the post by War Tip.

My brother of my Grandfather owned and operated a small mine in West Virginia, near Summersville. It was non-union. the miners voted to not have a union because they liked my Grandfather’s brother and he paid fair wages, no company store etc. The Union blew up his mine and put him out of business.
#49

On October 20th, 2009 at 12:56 pm, traveler49 said:

The Union blew up his mine and put him out of business.

He’s lucky that’s all they did!
#50

On October 20th, 2009 at 1:35 pm, matthew26 said:

I don’t see this as a victory. It’s only a temporary setback for the union thugs. Now they will need to make personal appearances to all home-health workers’ doorsteps.

Of course the thugs might be able to wait until card check passes.