SEIU: Union paid millions to companies with family ties

LA Times ^ | 9/26/08 | Paul Pringle

[NormsRevenge]

The Service Employees International Union's headquarters has paid millions of dollars to consulting firms, political nonprofits and individuals with family ties and other personal connections to some of the labor organization's top officers, records show.

One company partly owned by a union director also received more than $1 million in SEIU consulting fees.

The nation's fastest-growing union, the SEIU bills itself a standard-setter in the drive to reform and modernize the labor movement. It has adopted a code of ethics that bars officers from directing business to their relatives, although a spokeswoman said no competitive bidding process is required when such contracts are awarded.

Labor Department https://cslxwep1.dol-esa.gov/Disclosure/OnlineSR30.jsp?ReportId=LM30 from 2003 through last year show that:

* The SEIU and its political affiliate contributed $3 million to America Votes, an advocacy organization that was headed by Cecile Richards, wife of an aide to SEIU President Andy Stern, at the time the payments were made.

* Melissa Mullinax was an SEIU political director when the political consulting firm she held a 20%-to-25% stake in, The Edison Group, was paid more than $1 million, including expenses. In addition, the SEIU has spent about $41,000 on a graphic design company owned by Mullinax's husband, Jason Abbott.

* The union paid about $520,000 to a consulting firm co-founded by Democratic Party and labor strategist Steve Rosenthal, the husband of another SEIU director, Eileen Kirlin. Rosenthal, a longtime friend of Stern, also headed America Coming Together, a get-out-the-vote nonprofit that received $23 million from the union.

* Pamela Kieffer, wife of a third union director, David Kieffer, has received about $70,000 in consulting fees and in separate payments from a firm that provided recruitment services to SEIU.

[NormsRevenge]

Labor Department records - view for yourself

https://cslxwep1.dol-esa.gov/Disclosure/OnlineSR30.jsp?ReportId=LM30

Every officer and every employee (other than an employee performing exclusively clerical or custodial services) of a labor organization must file an Officer & Employee Report, Form LM-30, if he, or his spouse or minor child, directly or indirectly, had certain economic interests during the past fiscal year.

[SargeK]

SEIU has long since passed the Teamsters for the level of corruption. Maybe Barry O. is right - let’s let up on the Teamsters - and use those investigative resources on the SEIU.