SEIU Thuggery Handbook Exposed

As many of you have read here, I from time to time, like to point out when union thugs at in violent manner. This is to show the peace loving, tolerant side of the left. Click on Union Thugs over under Categories over on the left side of the blog.

Although unions were once a good thing, providing a giant shove forward for the middle class, they long ago lost their way. No longer is a union a there to protect workers from so-called exploitation at the hands of “evil business owners”. They have become a leader in the socialist and communist movements in the USA.

One of the leading culprits is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). These are the folks that beat up Kenneth Gladney, who was selling Tea Party memorabilia outside a convention. The men accused of beating Gladney were recently acquitted of the crime despite strong video evidence their attack on him was unprovoked.

In an interesting exposure, it was recently discovered that SEIU has put together a handbook on how to intimidate owners and managers of businesses SEIU wishes to organize. This booklet details ways to make it difficult for businesses to operate by interfering with potential customers and other facets of support to the businesses. The following is excerpts from a column by F. Vincent Vernuccio of the Washington Times.

SEIS’s manual details how “outside pressure can involve jeopardizing relationships between the employers and lenders, investors, stockholders, customers, clients, patients, tenants, politicians, or other on whom the employer depends for funds.”  The union advises using legal and regulatory pressure to “threaten the employer with costly action by government agencies or the courts.”

It details the use of community groups to “damage an employer’s public image and ties with community leaders and organizations.” SEIU recommends going after company officials personally. Not mincing words, SEIU states, “It may be a violation of blackmail and extortion laws to threaten management officials with release of ‘dirt’ about them if the don’t settle a contract. But there is no against union members who are angry at their employer deciding to uncover and publicize factual information about individual managers.”

The “dirt” includes charges such as “racism, sexism, exploitation of immigrants or proposals that would take money out of the community for the benefits of distant stockholders.” SEIU recommends “[l]eafleting outside meetings where [targeted managers] are speaking, their homes, or events sponsored by community organizations they are tied to are some ways to make sure their friends, neighbors, and associates are aware of the controversy.” (Source: Washington Times)

Because unions favor Obama (not necessarily the union members themselves), and drive millions of union member dues his way, the Obama Administration will do nothing to curb this. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is passing rules that will make unionization of a business easier by shortening the time between first contact of employees by the union to the time a vote can happen. The NLRB is also loosing rules that will allow unions to further intimidate owners and managers. Union leadership such as Richard Trumka (AFL/CIO President) have bragged that he’s “at the White House a couple of times a week, two, three times a week,” and that he has “conversation every day with someone at the White House or in the administration.”

Until there is an administration that is not beholden to the union leadership, this kind of tactic will continue.