Posted on 10/21/2008 9:16:14 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
The U.S. Labor Department has asked a federal court to overturn the election of all officers at a troubled Los Angeles union local, alleging that the organization made it too difficult for challengers to qualify for the ballot.
In a civil complaint against the Service Employees International Union's largest California chapter, the department contends that the March election of local President Tyrone Freeman and his slate of officers violated labor laws.
Freeman is the target of a separate criminal investigation into the local's spending practices.
The election complaint notes that the local required candidates to collect more than 4,800 nomination signatures in three weeks from members who worked mainly as caregivers in private homes.
Only Freeman and his allies qualified for the United Long-Term Care Workers ballot.
The complaint accuses the local of "failing to provide a reasonable opportunity for the nomination of candidates." It seeks a new election under the department's supervision.
Freeman has denied any wrongdoing. The union's national headquarters has removed him from the payroll and placed the local into trusteeship because of the spending scandal.
All of the local's roughly 50 board members and other officers have lost their posts because of the trusteeship.
In response to the complaint, union trustee John Ronches, who was appointed by the SEIU, said in a statement that it would "work closely" with the Labor Department to ensure that the election of officers "sets the highest standards of fairness and democratic representation."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
ACORN strikes again!!!
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