Well, here's one way to "stop with the politics"...

Just walk out!

Here's SEIU management slinking out of bargaining with international staff union UUR... That's Judith McCullough doing the talking, with Michelle Healy sitting to her right. Who are the other two?

Update: That's Mets fan and former 32BJ staffer Arun Ivatury sitting (and sighing) to Judith's left.



And here's UUR's report...

Dear UUR Brothers and Sisters,

SEIU has walked away from the bargaining table with UUR a full day and a half early (see attached video). This is another example of SEIU’s bad faith bargaining. Below is background on what transpired.

Your UUR bargaining team came to the most recent scheduled bargaining sessions with SEIU prepared to bargain and immediately get into the nuts and bolts of our contract so we can get it settled as soon as possible. However, given the tone and statements of Judith McCullough’s memo on behalf of SEIU called “UUR Bargaining” dated July 24, 2009, it was necessary to make one last stab at establishing ground rules based on the fact that SEIU’s memo unilaterally attempted to establish managements version of ground rules for bargaining with NO input from UUR.

It’s been clear to our membership that trust has been broken with SEIU over the last year or so. You, our members, have told us that transparency at the bargaining table is vital to instilling confidence in the process of bargaining with SEIU. Therefore, it has been imperative to your bargaining team to make every attempt at transparency from the table and to you the members of UUR.

After receiving SEIU’s final proposal on ground rules, we agreed to accept 99% of SEIU’s proposal. Our decision to agree to 99% of SEIU’s demands on ground rules was based on the fact that we wanted to get to the nuts & bolts of the contract as soon as possible. Here is a list of some of the issues UUR was willing to accept from SEIU’s ground rules proposal in order to get to the nuts & bolts of the contract:

1. UUR would carry the burden of all travel expenses for bargaining sessions.
2. UUR agreed that there would be no recording or transmitting of bargaining sessions.
3. UUR agreed to separate SEIU’s responsibility to facilitate paid time off for bargaining team members to attend bargaining from the ground rules proposal.

*Refer to attached final proposals to see SEIU’s final ground rules compared to UUR’s final ground rules. They are practically identical, yet SEIU still refused to agree.

The only change we made to SEIU’s final proposal on ground rules was sticking to our position that UUR members have the right to observe bargaining sessions between SEIU and UUR. As we all know being trained by SEIU, observers having the right to attend bargaining sessions are a basic tenet of SEIU’s strategy at the table for SEIU members. At this point we would ask for nothing less for our members. Transparency will ensure that you, our members, know what is happening at the bargaining table and is what you have asked of your bargaining team in these contract negotiations.

Like you, we are disappointed in SEIU walking away from negotiations. But, it’s not totally surprising considering some of SEIU’s recent union busting tactics against UUR and our members that has created the current atmosphere of distrust. For example:

1. Unilateral layoffs of close to 1/3 of UUR members

2. The pre-emptive layoff of a UUR member (Brad Gonzalez) for just mentioning UUR in a staff meeting at Local 5 in AZ.

3. SEIU’s denial of UUR members rights under the contract to be placed in the SIT program (violation of Article V, Section 7 of the contract). Instead, SEIU unilaterally decided to keep them as Organizer I and continued with layoff procedures. Marquis Queen and Helen Sanders are examples of two of the 19 UUR members who were denied entrance into the SIT program.

4. SEIU’s use of divide and conquer tactics. For example: Over 60% of those who were laid off were people of color and / or over the age of 40. Also, 100% of the 19 people denied self promotion to the SIT program were people of color and / or over the age of 40. Ask yourself…Is this what Ana Burger meant when she stated “We’re getting rid of the people that need to be gotten rid of.”

5. Denying members on layoff their rights under the contract to bump and replacing them with temporary staff. For example: Marquis Queen

6. SEIU’s attempts to bankrupt UUR and our financial solvency when it comes to representing our members. For example: Contrary to 25 years of past practice in bargaining, SEIU has put the entire cost of bargaining on UUR which includes travel from work assignments, lodging, expenses and docking bargaining team members salaries (in violation of the contract under Appendix H).

7. SEIU’s blatant attack on UUR’s elected leaders and bargaining team. For example: Chief Steward Sarah Solis, UUR President and bargaining team member Malcolm Harris and bargaining team members Denise McClendon, Marquis Queen, Quincy Sanders, and Gina Rivert. All of whom are people of color as well.

8. Another divide and conquer tactic is the use of temporary, contract, and Local staff to do Organizer I International work while at the same time they are laying off Organizer I International UUR members.

9. So many more examples to mention, but these are some of the most recent and glaring.

Who and what is next in SEIU’s arsenal against UUR? Many people have either been laid off or left employment in reaction to SEIU’s use of some of the worst union busting tactics imaginable. Like you, we are ready to get back to the table and settle our contract. We all want to feel good about the work we do and get back to building a progressive Labor Movement we can all believe in again. UUR is committed to remaining in Chicago through Friday prepared to bargain in good faith with SEIU. Our goal is to win a good contract for all of us. The question is…Is SEIU prepared to come back to the table to bargain in good faith and in a timely manner?

This is a call to arms. This is a time when we, as union members, need to stand up, stick together and show our solidarity, just like we ask the workers to do that we organize everyday. So, you as union members must take action to show our strength as a Union. We all know this is how we show unity and strength. These actions may include, but are not limited to: observing bargaining sessions, participating in public actions in support of getting a good contract, participation in the CAT team, creating a plan to strike if necessary.