SEIU tantrums in San Francisco; Update: Public-sector protectionism rejected in NJ
Police arrested 18 SEIU Purple Shirts yesterday in San Francisco after their protest of city layoffs and budget cuts caused a traffic jam and massive headaches for other residents trying to commute to and from, you know, work:
Police arrested 18 members of the Service Employees International Union on Monday night after they blocked rush hour traffic on Market Street about a block from Civic Center Plaza to protest job cuts in the face of San Francisco’s budget deficit.
Protesters, trying to prevent 500 city workers from being laid off, reassigned or given smaller paychecks, had notified police ahead of time of their plans. Nobody was injured in the demonstration, police said. The demonstrators were cited and released with an order to appear later in court.
The SEIU also bragged about another disruptive caper in San Francisco on its blog last week:
“What does it take to get the mayor’s attention in this town?” was the question on their purple lips Thursday night (it was cold) after several dozen SEIU 1021 members and staff occupied Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office, while hundreds more cheered them on inside and outside City Hall. It was a two-pronged tactic of escalating the San Francisco campaign through civil disobedience on top of public rallies…
…How the caper went down: Like a scheme from Ocean’s 11, SEIU 1021 had a 14-foot puppet and a crowd of hundreds to draw public attention–while inside the halls of power, a joint member-staff task force prepared to occupy the mayor’s office at any cost.
After changing into purple nursing scrubs in a conference room near the supervisors’ second floor offices, members seized advantage of an opened door to charge through the hallway past Newsom’s budget director’s office and into the wood-paneled lobby of Da Mayor’s office itself. That’s where they stayed for more than two hours, chanting and discussing and demanding to see the mayor, who never showed. Outside, hundreds of SEIU 1021 members and supporters rallied outside, holding signs reading “I Am a Woman” and dancing to Bob Marley’s anthemic “Get Up, Stand Up!”
After negotiating their release from the mayor’s office (they were locked in), members were greeted with wild cheers by most of the outside supporters.
What the SEIU won’t brag about is its own increasing isolation from other workers as a result of its militancy. The demonstrations against the city provide distraction and cover from SEIU’s political troubles:
A lefty site breaks down the rivalry:
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) held a boisterous picket line in San Francisco last night, but their chants targeted a surprising adversary: labor leaders and their political allies. While California Democratic Party Chair John Burton (labor’s greatest California ally), State Senator Mark Leno and leaders of UNITE HERE, the Sailors, Plumbers, Building Trades, and Police and Fire unions, were inside the Plumbers Union Hall honoring the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), SEIU was outside denouncing NUHW – and by implication its supporters – as corrupt. Last week, SEIU informed Burton that it would end its $1 million annual donation to the state Party unless he withdrew his support for NUHW, which he refused to do.
SEIU’s threat to labor hero Burton, and its reported statement to the United Teachers of Los Angeles (sponsor of tonight’s NUHW fundraiser) that it would seek to organize charter school teachers in retaliation for UTLA’s pro-NUHW stance, reflects a union increasingly at odds with the labor movement. In July, 25 international union leaders condemned SEIU’s raids on UNITE HERE, and new AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has since vowed to defend UNITE HERE against SEIU attacks. SEIU is now isolated, viewing fellow unions and pro-labor politicians as adversaries, and its scorched earth campaign against its former California health care leadership is coming at a steepening internal and political cost.
On a day when SEIU President Andy Stern joined hundreds of taxpayers protesting outside Goldman Sachs’ DC headquarters, the union he heads engaged in a vigorous street protest in San Francisco against labor leaders, political allies, and other supporters of the labor movement. SEIU’s protest further estranged it from a labor movement that Stern once aspired to lead, and culminates a year when its twin battles against NUHW and UNITE HERE have left the once inspiring union with more critics than friends in labor.
Let the sun shine in.
***
Meanwhile, hope and change of attitudes toward labor protectionism in NJ, via Jim Geraghty:
Let’s take a look at how voters in New Jersey feel about government, from Quinnipiac this morning:
New Jersey voters support 75 – 21 percent, including 70 – 26 percent among Democrats, a wage freeze for state workers to help balance the state budget, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, three weeks after Christopher Christie toppled Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine. A wage freeze wins 75 – 20 percent support from independent voters and 79 – 16 percent backing from Republicans. Voters in union households back a wage freeze 62 – 33 percent.Garden State voters also support 61 – 33 percent layoffs for state workers to help balance the state budget, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds. Support ranges from 50 – 43 percent among Democrats to 65 – 29 percent among independent voters to 69 – 25 percent among Republicans. Voters in union households split 49 – 48 percent.
A total of 97 percent of New Jersey voters say the state’s budget problems are “very serious” or “somewhat serious.”
Cut programs and services to balance the budget, 68 percent say, as 23 percent say raise taxes instead. Service cuts win 46 – 43 percent support from Democrats, 73 – 18 percent backing from independent voters and 86 – 8 percent backing from Republicans.
“If Governor-elect Christopher Christie wants to consider a wage freeze, New Jersey voters, even Democrats and union households, say send out for ice,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “And if he’s thinking about swinging the ax, voters will help sharpen it. Garden State voters agree with their new Governor – overwhelmingly – that the state’s in a fiscal mess. And they agree he should use the ax, not the tax, to solve the problem.”
When 50 percent of Democrats, and 49 percent of union households support laying off government workers, the verdict is clear: for these voters in this state, government isn’t working.
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Categories: SEIU
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total (_*_)s. they seriously need the air traffic controllers remedy as applied by the last conservative to hold the presidency.
Errah where’s San Fran Nan? I would expect that she do a Berlin Air drop of cash on any twosome newsome’s office from here government paid for aircraft. Will these 18 jobs come off Obama’s tally of jobs saved or created??
And there in lays the reason these things so often work: because this criminal act was perceived as political NEGOTIATIONS are called for. Negotiating with criminals invites more criminal acts. We had it with the student protesters in the 60s and 70s, Gay activist, race grievance activist and such. In Mayor Newsom’s Sodom by the Bay such is to be expected.
It must be hard to be an honest policeman in a jurisdiction that not only tolerates but openly encourages criminal activity.This goes on long enough and soon a punk is openly lauded for planting a bomb that kills a janitor, police cars get bombed, businesses are burned and honest peoples’ jobs disappear.
But as long is it is political that janitor, those policeman and those lost jobs are mere footnotes. The New Black Panther Party and Eric Holder played that game well.
Cowards serve no useful purpose.
We are already in a war here in America. Aggressive Islamization and Marxism advancing in the West….. And now, the growing realization that the President and Congressional Democrats are traitors and self-interested collaborators actively working to cripple the country. We can only hope they overreach enough for the average citizen to wake up and fight back before it is too late to recover.
Anyone who actively promotes the Democrat Party as it is currently constituted is indeed a traitor.
I’m sure the good, generous denizens of San Francisco would approve of an increase of their taxes to avoid these heartless layoffs. Why not just put it to a vote at the next communal meeting?
I’ll make the T.E.A.
After all, this is San Francisco…where all of the female population and half of the male population would make this claim.
Just like Obama said, “…Get in their face…”.
Aaaaaand now Andy Stern’s on his way to the WH, I’m sure.
I love it that Obama has hitched his wagon to the SEIU. May they continue to weaken as the rest of us focus on what really matters to Americans: getting our country back on track.
Add that to the long list of reasons I left California. And when I occcasionally miss it, along comes another story like this.
THE BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS AT 35%, THE U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT IS AT 17%, WHY IS THE GUBMINT GROWING? SHOULDN’T IN THIS ERA OF SOCIALIST EQUALITY WE LAY OFF 17% OF ALL GUBMINT WORKERS TO SHARE THE POVERTY? 17% OF ALL TEACHERS, POST OFFICE EMPLOYEES, TOLL BOOTH COLLECTORS, NOW THERE’S A JOB WHERE TECHNOLOGY COULD SURELY CUT COSTS AND STUPID SON-IN-LAW JOBS.
I vote for 35% for starters…and a note to reimburse taxpayers for decades of waste and failure.
What I find astounding are blacks who constantly bring up the past crime of slavery, yet have no problem being today’s slaves of government and all that comes with it.
This could also be restated as “Any Conservative who actively promotes the
DemocratRepublican Party as it is currently constituted is indeed a traitor.”I’m convinced that if JFK were alive today he would be considered too conservative to have been the 2008 GOP POTUS nominee.
With their heroes controlling the WH and congress, they are certainly getting more arrogant. There is one side benefit from our descent into third world status. People won’t be sneaking across our borders much, any more. Why leave a socialist/marxist country, just to risk everything in a socialist/marxist country? (Sarc/) That might help the left coast budget.
I work for San Francisco government, in one of the largest departments. SEIU is VERY unpopular with the rank and file. Over 40% of us refuse to join the union but, under California labor law, we are required to pay an “agency fee” to SEIU to “administer” our “share” of the contract with the city. That “agency fee” costs me $1200 a year. SF is facing a $500 million hole in next year’s budget and SEIU, true to form, is going to demand a raise that the city can’t afford. We have a “no strike” law here for public employees, but that is only in effect when we are under a union contract. The contract expires next June, and I guarantee SEIU will call a strike. My guess is less than 10% will not show for work. Then we’ll know where we can cut staff.
let’s see 2 million or so SEIU members (a bunch of them illegal aliens) and how many of us??…time for us to take the initiative and rid our nation of this corrupt organization of thugs and their handlers….we have the numbers over them why are we still letting them bully us??
Oklahoma used to be that way. If a shop was unionized, then you either joined it, paid them for representing you, or found a different job.
That was finally changed.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but, it appears from this story NUHW is trying to represent people while SEIU is just causing trouble.
Knowing Mayor Newsome, that’s too easy to answer.
Never could understand what part of “there is no money” government employees just don’t get, union or not. If there isn’t any funds to pay people the law of the land is “last in, first out”. Union membership can’t change that fact. I can think of a lot better ways to spend $100. a month than on union dues. Especially when a good part of that $100. goes to Democrap causes!!
That’ll last until they whip SEIU, then they’ll be just as bad. It’s just internal union politics.
The Quinnipiac poll on the New Jersey deficit issue is sure music to the ears of voters in New Jersey. It gives Governor Elect Christie(R) a strong mandate to get out the ax…..and chainsaw if needed.
Our state has long been held captive by the Democrats as our property taxes skyrocketed and every possible tax and regulation enacted to stifle the state.
I have been advocating for several years that a(10-15%) across the board cut of public employees was needed.
For those unaware, teachers in NJ with 20-25years experience make close to 90K+/school year(180days), lifetime full medical with no contribution and a ridiculous pension…….Local town cops and firemen in most of northern NJ make over 100K after 10 years with even more ridiculous benefits.
Folks, all of America is going to end up like CA and NJ if we can’t stop the radical left from enacting socialized global warming and healthcare legislation.
Write your reps and senators continually, go to Tea Parties, go to Washington, educate your neighbors, don’t be silent……..make yourself heard.
Yup, purple (shirt) is the new brown (shirt).
For a glimmer of hope check out the comments posted on the San Francisco Chronicle’s website about the SEIU protest last night.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/baycitynews/a/2009/11/23/unionprotest23.DTL
Even the lefties in San Francisco are starting to turn against the SEIU!!!
And not a day too soon.
Sadly, our new Corrupt-lican governor will only do so much, and nowhere near enough.
It’s time for some real change. Enough of these nitwits.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
You’re bleeding before you’re wounded. You don’t know what he’s really going to do at this point. Also, he has to still deal w/a democrat strong hold in the assembly. Everyone in NJ had there time to change in NJ and it seems as if the change didn’t really come where it counts in the statehouse.