Even Old Time Socialist Says SEIU is Corrupt

Bill Fletcher is all about the wringing of hands over the corruption scandal of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and is afraid that it will get in the way of the upcoming presidential campaign.

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Fletcher, a long time union activist, pseudo “Africanist,” anti-American, and anti-Jew agitator, who is also a self described “socialist,”, and Barack Obama volunteer, was interviewed recently on the website of the extremist organization Democracy Now. Little of what he had to say is of much surprise or interest nor is there any truth to it. It is filled with your run-of-the-mill psychotic hate for business and the U.S.A. like the content of all of his interviews. But, his lament about the troubled SEIU is interesting… maybe even heartening for those who wish to see the union curtailed. Talking about the late split between the AFL-CIO, Fletcher likened that instance to some of the troubles the SEIU is having with the Washington Office’s attack on its California Local, the United Healtcare Workers-West (UHW-W).

In SEIU, as you mentioned, what we’re witnessing is, in the West Coast there have been allegations of very serious corruption among locals that have been allied very strongly with SEIU President Andy Stern, and in the middle of this, this absurd attack on one of the largest SEIU locals by the SEIU President Andy Stern—and this is United Healthcare Workers-West–an attack that comes at absolutely the worst time, in an attempt to trustee the local, that is, to take it over by the international.

Fletcher says how earlier in the year, many in the labor movement had thought the UHW workers were being “paranoid” with their worry that Andy Stern of the SEIU was out to get them. Fletcher remembers saying to members of the UHW that, “No, no, no. You’re paranoid. This is ridiculous!” But, now that Stern has pretty much proven that he is, indeed, out to get them, everyone is shocked and surprised as well as saddened. On one hand, Fletcher is worried that this whole thing will detract from the unions being effective in helping out Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House and, on the other — and as is his boringly prosaic penchant — he thinks it ultimately comes down to race. I know. Race, you ask? It makes your head spin, right? First his thoughts on the SEIU’s internal fight:

… if SEIU goes forward with this ridiculous idea of a trusteeship of United Healthcare Workers-West, they are going to have to dedicate many staff to dealing with this situation, because the members of that local are very, very clear: they’re not accepting a trusteeship. So what that means is that people that could otherwise be around the country working on various campaigns are going to be tied up in trying to impose this trusteeship. This is going to be absolutely horrible.

Let’s hope that this internal fight really does distract the power mad, thug in the SEIU’s Washington office, Andy Stern, from exerting his baleful influence on the elections. Stern is definitely proving that he’ll allow NO other voice but his own to be heard in his little fiefdom. His sort of dictatorial attitude is not needed in politics. But, more absurdly, Fletcher sees the racist boogyman behind the SEIU’s internal fight. See, it isn’t mere power that is driving the SEIU fight, it’s “racism.” Why, it MUST be thinks Fletch. After all, if these union members weren’t all racists, why they’d put aside their petty differences to elect Barack Obama to the White House. That they are allowing their little power grabs to distract them, well it’s all because they are racists, Fletcher posits. Just look at the mental sickness that is Fletcher…

But the other problem that goes a little bit beyond this, Juan, is that within the union movement there is this question of race that is starting—a few months ago, started to be raised by some leaders, including, and very notably, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, but also by other leaders who have encountered resistance among a segment of the white membership to the idea of backing Obama for the presidency. And we can see it around the country, that there is this squeamishness in some sectors about pushing the envelope in terms of supporting the Obama candidacy. Actually, more than anything else, this concerns me. The SEIU situation in California is horrible, and I think it’s absurd that there would be any thought of a trusteeship, but this issue of race, which for years union leaders have refused to talk about, beyond this idea of diversity–you taste my food, I’ll taste yours–we haven’t confronted this issue of race. And so, now what do we have? People saying, “Well, you know, I’m not sure whether I really want to support him,” when the basic question is simple: are you better off now than you were eight years ago? And if you are not, then you had better be supporting Senator Obama. Yet, this is–there’s some squeamishness, as I noted. And so, I think this, over the next several weeks, this will be the critical question. And I’m hoping that unions on both sides of the split will be forthright in tackling this question. Let’s not play any games. The race card, the race issue, is central in this race. There’s no question about it.

Have you ever seen a more convoluted, absurd conspiracy theory in your life? In a nation where blacks head the largest corporations, are the most famous entertainers, politicians, teachers and artists… this guy thinks we are all racists? Have we not come an inch past 1950? For that matter is this still a climate just like that of the Antebellum South!? Remember an important point here. Fletcher isn’t talking about we Republicans. He’s talking about his own, Democratic Party, union members. It is they he is claiming are the racists. I dearly, dearly hope that this agitator, this socialist hate spreader, does succeed in spreading his bile in amongst unions. It can only serve to really help put them at each other’s throats in vitriolic self-hate. They are beginning to feed on each other folks. Let’s hope they keep it up!