Report forwarded to me by Brother Kroopkin.

In a well attended raucous meeting on April 13, 2009  of the San Francisco Labor Council representing nearly all the unions in San Francisco unanimously endorsed a resolution condemning the raid by Andy Stern and the SEIU International on Unite-Here throughout the country and also declared support for any SEIU local that "stands in opposition to this violation of union principles and practice. ... The meeting was one of the most intense in some time as San Francisco Unite Here Local 2 president Mike Casey in a dramatic statement charged that the SEIU raid on his union had threatened all the work the members had done in order to get a national contract with the major hotel chains. The union had waited for years to sign a contract so their expiration dates would coincide with the expiration dates of other local's chain hotels around the country. Casey was joined by many other SEIU rank and file delegates who said they were angered and appalled by the use of their union dues to finance a raid on another union that was fighting for their members. Olga Miranda who is also the leader of SEIU Local 87 of the San Francisco janitors did not speak at the meeting but resolution had been previously introduced by her to support any SEIU local that opposed these raids. SEIU Local 87 janitors decertified twice in the past ten years before they were able to win back control of their local from SEIU president Andy Stern who wanted to merge their local into the statewide SEIU Local 1877. Domita Davis Howard who is the Stern appointed Executive Secretary of the 50,000 member SEIU 1021 had boycotted the meeting although she was on the SFLC Executive Board and was aware that this motion would be coming up. Not one delegate of the over 100 delegates who attended got up to oppose the resolution and it was adopted unanimously. Included were the other members of Stern's Change to Win unions including the UBC Carpenters, UFCW and Teamsters who were also in the meeting. This action as well was not unique to San Francisco since similar resolutions have passed in the South Bay Labor Council and other Northern California labor councils as well as the Seattle Labor Council. The frontal rebuff to the International SEIU and Andy Stern's efforts to raid Unite-Here is a significant sign that the SEIU International is danger of becoming totally isolated in California and event threatening the continued power it has in the California labor movement as local after local bolts from the Stern operation.

SFLC Resolution Opposed to SEIU’s Attempted Hostile Takeover of UNITE HERE and its Jurisdiction  http://www.sflaborcouncil.org/ViewUpload/405 Whereas an internal dispute within UNITE HERE over constitutional reform and union democracy has led to a minority faction within the union to secede, in violation of the International Constitution; and  Whereas SEIU has seized on this division within UNITE HERE as an opportunity to raid UNITE HERE’s members and jurisdiction; and  Whereas an affiliation agreement between SEIU and this secessionist faction provides for organizing in UNITE HERE’s traditional jurisdiction, namely hotels, gaming, and food service; and   Whereas slick mailings, followed up with live and automated phone calls have encouraged UNITE HERE members in cities across North America (including San Francisco) to leave UNITE HERE and join a “new union” which is an affiliate of SEIU; and  Whereas SEIU’s reprehensible behavior not only undermines UNITE HERE’s local unions now preparing for industry-wide negotiations in Atlantic City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, but also will be exploited by anti-union corporations and interest groups opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act; and   Whereas the actions of SEIU International leadership threatens longstanding cooperative relationships and undermines solidarity between UNITE HERE locals and SEIU locals;  Therefore be it Resolved that the San Francisco Labor Council: 1. Condemns the intervention in the internal concerns of UNITE HERE by President Andy Stern and top SEIU leadership, and their actions designed to attack and weaken UNITE HERE; 2. Condemns the campaign being waged against UNITE HERE and its locals with the reliance on corporate-type anti-union tactics; 3. Demands that SEIU cease all actions and/or support in raids of gaming, hotel and food service bargaining units and publicly acknowledge UNITE HERE’s organizing jurisdiction in these areas across North America; 4. Encourages SEIU local leaders, members and staff to repudiate the SEIU affiliation agreement that seeks to steal UNITE HERE’s jurisdiction and denies UNITE HERE a future; 5. Directs the Council’s Executive Director to send a copy of this resolution to Andy Stern, Anna Burger and the Change to Win leadership, the SEIU International Executive Board, and John Sweeney and the AFL-CIO Executive Committee. 6. Urges the California Labor Federation and other Labor Councils and bodies throughout the nation to adopt the same position as this Council.  Submitted by Mike Casey, UNITE HERE 2, and adopted by the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Labor Council by acclamation on April 6, 2009 and unanimously by the Delegate Body of the San Francisco Labor Council on April 13, 2009.  Respectfully, Tim Paulson Executive Director
http://www.sflaborcouncil.org/ViewUpload/406 Resolution on SEIU Locals and SFLC Support Whereas, the San Francisco Labor Council has taken a position opposing the Andy Stern-led attack on UNITE H ERE,   Therefore be it Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council offers its support to any SEIU local that stands in opposition to this violation of union principles and practice.  Resolution submitted by Olga Miranda, SEIU 87 and adopted by the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Labor Council on April 6, 2009.  Respectfully,  Tim Paulson Executive Director  OPEIU3 AFL-CIO 11