SEIU may be linked to ultimatum on withholding stimulus funds

Reporting from Sacramento -- Officials in the governor's office say a politically powerful union may have had inappropriate influence over the Obama administration's decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal stimulus money from California if the state does not reverse a scheduled wage cut for the labor group's workers.

The officials say they are particularly troubled that the Service Employees International Union, which lobbied the federal government to step in, was included in a conference call in which state and federal officials reviewed the wage cut and the terms of the stimulus package.

Thomas Donahue is the President of the US Chamber of Commerce and is coordinating a multimillion dollar campaign against health care reform. He is also is on the board of Sunrise Senior Living, a nursing home. Should single payer become law nursing homes would be hit by a double whammy of forced increase of quality, specifically they would have to hire more staff, and receive lower payments. No more funneling all the money to the top and cheat old people and workers.

But is that really in the interest of members of the US Chamber of Commerce? Most of them would benefit from a single payer system, their health costs would plummet and their employees would not longer have to worry about health care.

Aliquippa hospital workers who were stiffed for paychecks rally
ALIQUIPPA — Commonwealth Medical Center employees who said they were stiffed for their final paychecks after the Aliquippa hospital filed for bankruptcy last month rallied Friday to publicly protest a court ruling that permits pay for hospital executives. ...

...John O’Donnell, the hospital’s chief executive officer, said Friday that the bankruptcy court will take up the issue of employee pay at a hearing on Jan. 27. “It’s kind of in the court’s hands right now,” he said.

He runs the hospital into the ground and then blames the court. Sweet.

Walter calls in to NPR

Jeffrey Muckensturm

H.R. 676 has significant labor support. To date, over 445 labor organizations, including 36 state AFL-CIO chapters, 110 Central Labor Councils, the United Steel Workers, the United Auto Workers, and at least 14 AFSCME and SEIU locals have passed resolutions supporting the bill. Interestingly, both SEIU and AFSCME have passed resolutions supporting H.R. 676 at national conventions, showing that there is strong rank-and-file support for single-payer.

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SEIU Launches Nationwide Actions To Question Health Insurance Industry Tactics

Last month, SEIU and its allies in HCAN (Health Care for American Now) held a massive demonstration outside of the launch of the insurance industry’s sham health care “listening tour.” Along with the upcoming events beginning Tuesday, SEIU will have helped stage more than a dozen actions nationwide to highlight insurance industry tactics that prioritize profits over people.

DETAILS ON TUESDAY’S EVENTS FOLLOW:

Des Moines, Iowa

Nolan Plaza

12:00 p.m. CT

Manchester, New Hampshire

City Hall Plaza

10:00 a.m. ET

Salem, Oregon

State Capitol press conference room

10:30 a.m. PT

Unions Back Plan that Could Kill Off Real Health Care Reform

The AFL-CIO’s and SEIU’s endorsements of single payer appear to be window dressing. They are putting all their energies into “guaranteed affordable choice.” They do it in their own names, and as members of the Herndon Alliance and the Health Care for America Now coalition, which became public July 8. These coalitions criticize single payer as “not politically feasible.”

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Vulnerable old people can make you rich.

SEIU Now and Then: May Democracy Be With You

The internal struggle and accelerating debate within the SEIU over union democracy is a positive and encouraging development. While democracy, dissent and member empowerment are on the horizon in SEIU and even in vogue in West Coast locals, it wasn't always so. A reform movement and the uprising of Public Employees for a democratic Union within the former L790 serves as a case study.

Rob Russell for Tennessee’s 1st District

60 SEIU workers protest at meeting where Carlyle head speaks

BALTIMORE - About 60 union workers protested Monday at a conference where the head of a private-equity firm spoke to business editors and reporters.

Workers from Manor Care (nyse: HCR - news - people ) nursing homes around the U.S. protested David Rubenstein's speech, chanting and passing out flyers, said Julie Eisenhardt, a spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union.

Here is an interesting line of thought form Andy Stern at http://www.drinkingliberally.org/ "> Drinking Liberally . I agree on one thing, a platform closer to the reality of existence and not based on polling quotes.