Local 6434 members want an independent investigation, no more hand-picked
leaders accountable to Andy Stern and Anna Burger
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 100 nursing home
workers and homecare workers who are members of SEIU Local 6434 gathered today
at the Oakland and Los Angeles offices of their parent union, SEIU. They
demanded an independent investigation into corruption by Local 6434 President
Tyrone Freeman, as well as any role national SEIU officials may have had; the
right to choose their own leaders instead of having them appointed by SEIU
officials in Washington, D.C.; and a stop to SEIU's forced restructuring of
local unions until member control is restored.
Freeman was appointed to run Local 6434 by SEIU President Andy Stern and
Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, and supported with staff and money from
Washington, DC. A Los Angeles Times investigation recently revealed he spent
union members' dues on an exclusive cigar club, a golf tournament, and payouts
to his family and friends.
"We are outraged at the abuse of our trust and misuse of our union dues by
Andy Stern and Anna Burger's appointee," said Karen Linzy, a homecare worker
who lives in Inglewood. "Our leaders should be accountable to healthcare
workers in California, not to union officials in Washington, D.C."
Members of the local have been denied the right to choose their leadership
since Stern and Burger installed Freeman in 1998 as president of Local 434B.
In 2006, SEIU restructured local unions in California, putting Freeman in
charge of the largest local union in the state. The U.S. Department of Labor
has launched an investigation into rigged election rules that made it
impossible for members to run for union office unless they were chosen by
Freeman.
Prior to the Times investigation, Stern and Burger had been moving forward
with another restructuring plan to move 75,000 more members into Freeman's
local without a fair vote.
Weeks after the misuse of funds at Local 6434 was revealed, Stern and
Burger replaced Freeman with John Ronches, an assistant to Burger from
Washington, D.C. who has no experience with long-term care workers. SEIU has
insisted they will investigate the matter themselves using internal union
procedures.
"For a union to be the voice of its members, members must have a voice in
our union," Linzy said. "There should be no more forced reorganization of our
local unions until an independent investigation is complete and control of
Local 6434 is returned to its members. Appointing yet another Washington
insider accountable only to Stern and Burger is more of the same."
SOURCE SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West
Sadie Crabtree of SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West, +1-323-365-2083
