Most SEIU people I've seen need to slash at least 30% of their weight.
Posted on 12/30/2016 8:23:57 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — the second largest union operating in Massachusetts, with some 87,000 members in the state — is slashing its roughly $300 million national operating budget by 30 percent, citing the "threats" posed to organized labor by President-elect Trump.
SEIU's international president told staff earlier this month that because the far right will control all three branches of the federal government, workers will face serious threats to their ability to join unions.
SEIU local 32BJ is fighting for a $15 minimum wage and to unionize 1,500 workers at Logan Airport. 32BJ's Roxana Rivera said it’s still too early to know the local effects of the budget cuts. But she does not expect organizing to diminish.
"SEIU and the locals that are under the umbrella of SEIU that carry out the organizing plans, from many years ago we've made organizing a priority," Rivera said.
The SEIU's 30 percent budget reduction will be complete by 2018, with a 10 percent reduction going into effect Jan. 1. The union would not say what exactly will be cut, though the local budgets are not tied to the national budget.
Organized labor is on high alert for coming judicial appointments by Donald Trump. They include more than 100 federal judgeships and a Supreme Court position. And a conservative Supreme Court could decide that non-union workers covered by union contracts can opt out of paying fees that cover the cost of contract negotiations.
Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman said the need to cut could spread to other unions, including his own.
"We always look very closely at the budgets, and if our affiliates are cutting back, it's a sign that the whole industry is going to have to tighten up their belts and be more responsible financially," he said.
But Tolman also said the need for unions will increase.
"Our mission in the fights that we take on, are certainly not going to diminish, in fact they're going to augment very rapidly when the new administration is in place."
Some experts feel the coming political Climate will demand more political Action from unions — and less organizing. Clark University industrial relations professor Gary Chaison said the SEIU budget cuts indicate that's what's happening. But he said the predominance of pro-labor Democrats in the state legislature make Massachusetts unique.
“The battles to be fought in Massachusetts are different than in other states — but nothing should be taken for granted," Chaison said. "There may have a favorable political climate, but they should allocate funds to make sure that the climate always stays favorable."
Barbara Madeloni heads the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state's largest union at 110,000 members. Madeloni said the best defense against Trump is to expand grassroots organizing. She cites the successful "No on 2" campaign, which beat back efforts in the November elections to expand charter schools in the state.
"The question of political power will follow deep organizing," Madeloni said. "That's what we discovered in No on 2 ... the power of people working in coalitions for public education."
Union membership has seen a decline in recent decades, down nearly 50 percent since 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.. The rate of union membership is slightly higher in Massachusetts, where about 14 percent of the workforce — or 402,000 workers — belonged to unions in 2015.
Bring on the Muttley gif
More likely:
They’re losing all their slush fund money from the Obama admin.
Everyday is a winner! It will soon be impossible to find room for all the 1st place trophy’s!
Probably cutting benefits to workers - and NOT fat salaries to union execs.
The “far right” will be controlling all three branches???!!!
You can bet the cuts won’t come from salaries and perks of union leaders. They may fire a secretary here and there, tho.
Translation: we’re losing our federal tax money subsides that Obama and Cabal were giving us
ps:
Only 70 percent more budget cut to go and this SUPER-CORRUPT union will be OOB!
That’s so terrible for these freeloaders. Boohoo, sniff, sniff. There’s a special level of Hell reserved for SEIU members.
Interesting to see. I wondered why they would cite the perceived threat of Trump as a reason to cut spending and cut back their activities. Wouldn’t a perceived unfriendly president cause them to redouble their efforts to oppose Trump????
As much as I’d like to believe this, I think its some type of scam. Maybe they’re channeling the money into political activities or something else. No union is going to give up money —they’ll fight for every penny even if it means killing their membership to get it.
This is what draining the swamp means, cutting off the ruling class’s money supply. The left won’t be able to respond at a national level if we cut their funding. And we shouldn’t rely just on Trump. All 31 governors need to go Scott Walker at the same time. The left will have to pick their battles.
Awesome!
Are they going to slash dues as well?
Most SEIU people I've seen need to slash at least 30% of their weight.
Royal Flush winning ;-)
Wait! What? They counter a threat to their organization by REDUCING their budget? Wouldn’t you normally INCREASE your budget to counter a threat? Oh, yeah. Right. They’re not reducing their budget at all because of this “threat”; they’re real “threat” is massive loss of membership and slush fund money of one sort or another.
“workers will face serious threats to their ability to join unions.”
We’ll lose our pseudo-protection racket scam and be unable to strongarm dues out of workers so we can sit on ass and push forward our commie bs.
They should just have a coin with Trump’s profile on one side and Putin’s on the other.
Then the Liberals could toss that coin to determine who to blame for their various hand-wringing issues.
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