The Carlyle Group

House Panel Hears Testimony on ACORN Corruption, Coercion

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 04/10/2009 - 18:50

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, claims to be a voice for dispossessed people. But the New Orleans-based hard-Left nonprofit community organizing network of some 1,200 chapters and 400,000 dues-paying member households has a long history of shakedown artistry. And contrary to the group's official spin, its critics are hardly limited to "the rich" or "right-wingers." On March 19, a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on issues relating to the 2008 election cycle. Prepared testimony from a credible witness indicated that the group operates what amounts to a Mafia-style protection racket. Indeed, the evidence was disturbing enough for Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., who previously had been a supporter, to call for further hearings focused solely on ACORN. There is a strong union angle, too, given that the group owns two locals of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Union Steps Up Campaign against Private Equity Funds

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 06/02/2008 - 00:00

The Service Employees International Union is a leader when it comes to wielding a now-common weapon in American unionism’s strategic arsenal:  the corporate campaign.  As Wackenhut has learned for the last couple years, the SEIU knows how to conduct a multi-pronged attack against an employer’s reputation.  Whether through demonstrations, media campaigns or boycotts (among other tactics), the purpose is always the same:  to induce surrender by the targeted corporation on key issues, often beginning with recognition of the union as the sole collective bargaining agent.  The Service Employees, which represents about 1.9 million security guards, janitors, health care workers and other primarily unskilled employees, for a little over a year has broadened its target range to include private-equity funds.  These institutional investors, though usually not publicly-traded, are best-known for engineering buyouts of public companies.  And as they bring major corporations under their wing (e.g., last year’s purchase of Chrysler by Cerberus Capital Management), anti-corporate activism by necessity to a great extent now also means anti-equity fund activism.

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