Last year, Freedom@Work reported on the allegations of corruption against Tyrone Freeman, former boss of the largest Service Employees International Union (SEIU) affiliate in California. Freeman spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars of rank-and-file workers' forced union dues on his wife's and mother's companies and on a luxurious fat-cat lifestyle. The Los Angeles Times later reported Freeman's SEIU affiliate "charity" failed to spend a single cent on its charitable mission in two of the four years it has been in existence.
Today, the Los Angeles Times reports another SEIU union official corruption scandal, this time executive vice president of the SEIU's Illinois-Indiana health care affiliate and national SEIU union board member Byron Hobbs.
Hobbs is accused of billing the union for $9,000 for personal expenses. The LA Times continues its report by putting the latest scandal in context:
...[former Freeman Chief-of-Staff] Rickman Jackson, was removed as head of the SEIU's largest Michigan local, because he allegedly received improper lease payments for his Bell Gardens house.
Annelle Grajeda, president of both a second L.A. local and the SEIU's state council, has been on leave since August, when the union began investigating whether she had improperly used her influence to keep her ex-boyfriend on the county payroll...
Last month, the union imposed a trusteeship on an Oakland-based local and fired its officers, accusing them of misusing dues money to wage a political battle against SEIU President Andy Stern.
And of course, who can forget that it was a SEIU union boss who was engaged in pay-to-play talks with former [and corrupt] Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich -- to allegedly buy Obama's then-vacant U.S. Senate seat.
Unfortunately, the people most hurt by union boss corruption are the rank-and-file workers, especially in forced unionism states. Right to work laws, allow workers to hold union officials more accountable by exercising because workers can cut off union dues if they don’t like union officials' so-called “representation,” politics, corruption, or fat-cat lifestyles.
Comments
32BJ Member
(PLEASE GET THIS MESSAGE TO ANDREW STERN)
Dear Mister Andrew stern,
I'm really nobody special,
I'm just a porter from riverbay corp,
and a member of the 32BJ union.
I'm writing to inform you about a problem here in co-op city,
that involves the union reps and the management of Riverbay corp.
The people who are in charge here;think that they are big dogs,
and I told them that;I'm going to get in contact with the real big dog,
And expose there dirty laundry.
I watch your videos all the time on youtube,and believe that;you are truly the man fit to be the president.
Ok...Now..What I'm about to tell you is the real truth.
There was a Riverbay supervisor, who was murdered by a porter last year.
His name was Audley Bent.He was a good friend and supervisor.
He trained me,and I became a good porter.3 weeks before his murder they moved me from my area and placed me in another
area called section three.Ali Vargas is the supervisor of section three.This man is a very evil man.
Behind closed doors;he's a very rascist man,but in the eyes of the public (he's a warm gentle man)
If you don't believe me;you can ask any man in this company,who's not hispanic.
A friend of mine named Mark Shapiro was the first man to stand up to Ali Vargas,
by filing a civil Rights case.He abused Mark with rascist slurs and giving his position to a fellow hispanic.
I myself,was placed in what they called the Nigleeto building.They called it the nigleeto building,because of the staff.There are 5 buildings per section.
In building 15,it's all hispanic men.In building 16, all hispanic men.In building 17, all hispanic men,in building 18, it's all hipanic men and building 19
was all black skinned people.Theres 5 porters per building.Jackson,Cooper,Myself,Nunez,and the carpenter from jamaica.
Nunez is a hispanic man,but his skin was dark enough to be put in the nigleeto building.
(If I'm lying,I'm Dying) Ali Vargas was stressing me out so bad,that I started drinking after work and then during work.
He wouldn't stop riding me.Do this,do that,in front of the other workers,laughing and speaking spanish.The other workers told me,
that he wanted them to sign some form of slip;to get me out the building.They stood there ground like strong union brothers should,
and told me what he was trying to do.He wanted me to quit.I tried to stay strong for as long as I could,
but being stressed out from Bent being killed and the drinking,
and Ali slaving me,I became tramatized.He would have me doing other peoples jobs,climbing on scalfuls,doing ground work etc.
Everytime,I would take a vacation,he would be furious.Why? I don't know.He would tell me"It's hard finding good help these days"
The last time I took a vacation,he sent the shop steward to threaten my job.The shop steward and Ali Vargas are very close.There like family.
I couldn't rest on vacation.All I thought about was Ali riding me like Kuntah Kintay.On my last day of vacation,I was depressed and didn't want to come to work,
because I knew what I had to deal with.I started drinking 8AM in the morning,and being that I wasn't in my right frame of mind,
I called the office,cursing drunk slurs,about I hate Ali and I wish he was dead,kill the bastard etc...I really can't remember what I was actually saying,
But it was in a raging tone of voice.The next day I went to work,and I was arrested for aggravaited harrassment.The judge thought it was funny and gave me a dollar bail.
When I came home,co-op city had my picture posted all over the walls and back doorS of every building.The picture looked like a wanted poster.
At the bottom of the picture it say's "Please call us if you see this individual in the area.
If I'm lying,I'm dying.
I was scared to punch the clock.The police was waiting for me at the clock.The police are very shaky here in the bronx,
and they will shoot my black ass faster then you can say "union dues",So I just called in sick for 3 days.
My phone was ringing off the hook.People asking me about the picture.
Then I called the co-op city police.They said "Come in and talk to us".They told me that the general manager (Vernon Cooper) was sending me to a drinking program.
As soon as I got there,the police hand me a document stating my termination.I still have it.I also have the photo's my friends ripped down.
The next day,my mother recieved a letter in the mail stating she's being evicted from her home ,and I don't even live there.She almost had a heart attack.
When I first tried to file for unemployment;Riverbay lied to the department of labor,and said "there not paying me,due to a strike,that happened in October.
I was terminated in november and there was never a srike in october.Those bastards tried to starve my family.My union brothers fed my family with donations.We didn't have money for a weeks.Then the department of labor did some research
and released my money.My next move was to go down to the union building and speak to a rep.
The union reps name is Corrado Meeola.He told me,(Straight to my face) that he's not going to represent me.I asked him "what about all the money I pay in union dues?"
He said nothing.I said "Guilty or not;I should get a fair trial,just like everybody else.
Theres men that I worked with that actually slapped supervisors,and they got suspened.
I was never suspended.I never went over my sick days.I was never written a pink slip.Ali Vargas tried to give me one,but the big supervisor's threw it out,because they know Ali is mentally sick.
Corrado Meeola said he would get me a couple of dollars.I said "a couple of dollars !"I was furious.He sent me down to Lambert housing.At first,I thought everything was going to be ok,but
Lambert housing told me I was a temp and that they would only pay me $10 dollars.I just got my raise at riverbay,and I was so happy.I think my happiness made Ali Vargas miserable.I know that doesn't make alot of sense,but I believe it to be true.
After 4 weeks of Lambert housing,I was laid off.So, I found another union rep by the name of Kyle Brag.
Kyle Brag made my family so many promises.He said he found me a job.Guess what it was?
Another for 4 weeks at Lambert Housing.I was laid off again.Did I mention that I was a temporary worker at Riverbay for 5 years?
Yep...5 years.Every six months they would lay me off and re-hire me so I couldn't make permenant.They didn't want to pay me full time money.
A lot of people said"Maybe your not a good worker".
I told them that can't be,because they re-hire me.I'm good enough to do the job,but not good enough to get paid the wages.
I really should've been at top pay in 2001.I've watched so many hispanic men make permenant before me,I almost cried.
I would be talking to a new guy,and he'd be telling me about how he's permenant, and I'd be telling him,how I've been here for 3 years temp.
You don't believe me ? (GO CHECK IT OUT) There are also rumors of union reps excepting (shut up money) from Riverbay.I need your help.(Your the only man that could put things back in order)
There trying to sweep me under the rug ,because, they know ;I don't have money for a lawyer.
They said that you wouldn't come,but I know your the real thing,because I see you on tv everywhere.
Thanks again for listening to my cries.
Damon King Mitchell
620-Baychester Ave.(Apt#6-G)
Bronx,Newyork,10475
1-(347)-920-2446
tecknowledge_x13@yahoo.com
CORRUPTION 32BJ - They hire all the low-lifes
The same nonsense happened to my husband recently. He is caucasian and worked as a porter/doorman. He was harassed by coworkers and super. The union didn't help him or fight for his job, and he was discriminated against because of a disability he developed within the past year. He would have been at the job 2 years in October, but they got rid of him in July. They also were going to take away his unemployment if he went ahead and filed a complaint with the EEOC. We had no choice but to sign legal papers stating we would not press charges...otherwise, we would not be able to buy food. They did this to him exactly seven days after my child suffered a head injury...they're all corrupt.
SEIU Corruption in CHW Redwood City CA
I worked in a private hospital in CA who has a part of their workers in SEIU. From 1995 on we suffered massive lay-offs and downsizing...we did not get even cost of living increases..our SEIU reps insisted that if we agreed to give up a percentage of our Payed time off (PTO) the Hospital would stop the downsizing, we were bullied into this by threats of no contract and loosing our jobs to the people who had been downsized. We did it and the lay offs continued.
Due to these layoff's I am now permanently disabled with a spinal injury and can never work in the medical field again. many other long time workers were also injured. Our union did not protect us when we insisted the conditions with inadequate staff were unsafe, the Hospital just laughed and said "if you don't want to do the work or say you can't we can just give your job to one of the people we just laid off, they will be greatfull for it, you can leave." Our union looked the other way.
To this day the promised return of the "temporary loaned PTO" has not been returned and they still are syphoning the PTO off the workers.