California wealth tax proponent threatened labor officials, law firm’s report finds

The labor leader championing California’s wealth tax threatened other union officials as he sought to build support for the measure and previously assaulted a labor official, according to an independent investigation.

A law firm’s probe into allegations against SEIU-UHW leader Dave Regan, obtained by POLITICO, substantiated claims made in a February complaint that Regan sought to intimidate other labor leaders into endorsing the proposed wealth tax, which has sharply divided California’s organized labor movement — and it found that a labor leader “reasonably” felt threatened because of Regan’s history of verbally and physically intimidating people. The law firm did not substantiate a second set of charges alleging the allegations against Regan were an attempt to derail the billionaire’s tax and retaliate against Regan.

A statement from SEIU-UHW framed the report as part of a backlash to the wealth tax, calling it an effort by “some of the state’s wealthiest and most powerful interests” to “bring unfounded personal attacks.”

“Unrelated verbal interactions spanning nearly two decades are being stitched together and stripped of context to manufacture a false narrative about the union’s leadership,” the union said. “This misinformation campaign will not distract the elected leadership or members of SEIU-UHW from passing Proposition 40 and protecting healthcare, hospitals and emergency rooms for millions of Californians.”

Regan denied the allegations of threats and assault in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, which first reported on the investigation.

The probe found Regan suggested to one labor leader he would seek a federal Department of Labor investigation if SEIU State Council — the umbrella group of which Regan’s union is a member — did not endorse the wealth tax. The state council ultimately took a neutral position.

It also said that Regan told another SEIU official he was “coming for” her if an endorsement was not forthcoming — and concluded that the official had reason to be concerned about that statement because Regan had physically assaulted another labor official years ago, calling the assertion of past assault “materially accurate” based on multiple interviews.

According to the report, Regan — angered by a former SEIU official’s handling of a ballot measure — kicked in the official’s office door, pinned her against the wall, and berated her. Regan later threatened a person who described the alleged assault with a defamation suit.

Regan, denying the claim, told the Times the allegations were made in retaliation for his support for the wealth tax. The report links Regan to SEIU-UHW’s effort to have state council endorse gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer — the only Democrat running for governor this year who endorsed the wealth tax — in exchange for SEIU-UHW dropping its own charge alleging that the probes of Regan were acts of political retaliation. The investigation concluded that Regan’s counter-allegation was not substantiated.

Regan has long been a polarizing figure in California politics, known for his aggressive style and prolific use of ballot measures to extract compromises. His pursuit of the wealth tax has ratcheted up tensions, in part because Regan forged ahead despite deep reservations about the proposal within organized labor. Prominent labor groups like the California Teachers Association oppose the wealth tax, while the California Labor Federation endorsed it.

He has been accused in the past of shoving a lawmaker and assaulting a process server — allegations that a spokesperson described as an “uncorroborated exaggeration” and a “defamatory smear.” A 2018 lawsuit that reached a confidential settlement accused him of presiding over a workplace culture of intimidation and discrimination.

I was in a union in my first job. I bagged groceries. The leader of the union was this little weird looking butterball of a man who seemed unpleasant even when he smiled. Everywhere he went there were two or three thugs in suits with him. They were bulky, never talked and stayed close. I asked one of the longtime union people who they were and what they did. She said, “Sometimes someone will disagree with (butterball.) They convince that person to toe the line. I said, “They beat people up?” She said, “Yep, that’s their job.”

My dad was in a union in Tampa. He started the credit union which rapidly had a huge bank account. He ran for the office that would control that money, but the main union up north had their own candidate in mind. Suddenly, my dad was carrying a gun everywhere. Men stuck with him on the job because they thought he was in danger. One night at dinner my mom answered the door and came back to the table in a panic saying there were some men who wanted him outside. I was beside him. Under the table I saw him pull out a snub nosed .38 and check the load. I followed him to the door and the men kept insisting he come outside. He pulled the gun without pointing it and instructed them to leave. They left. He lost the election and it’s all in who counts the vote. I think he was relieved.

Unions appear to be criminal operations. So, threatening someone to get their way? Par for the course.

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