Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF)

SEIU's Stern Leaves Troubled Legacy

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 04/26/2010 - 20:16

Andrew SternAlmost everyone connected to organized labor by now has heard the news: Andrew Stern soon will resign as president of the Service Employees International Union. His departure in all likelihood will be permanent. And, if somewhat muted, so will the edgy aggression of the union he redefined. Stern made the announcement on April 14 at an SEIU executive board meeting, confirming a flurry of rumors emanating from an internal e-mail sent by Seattle SEIU local leader Diane Sosne. Stern subsequently e-mailed his own members: "There's a time to learn, a time to lead, and then there's a time to leave. And shortly, it will be my time to retire...and end my SEIU journey." The date of departure, though unspecified, will be within a month. Better political instincts suggest Stern will find plenty of ways to keep himself busy.

Nonprofit Groups File New Request for Probe of SEIU Lobbying

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:15

SEIU logoThe Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is among the many partners that the Obama administration has relied upon in its ongoing effort to socialize the U.S. economy. Indeed, the SEIU has been a special partner. That's because President Andrew Stern has operated as a lobbyist all but in name. A major Washington, D.C. conservative nonprofit organization and a related group are putting the union on alert that this may be illegal. For the second time in less than a month, Americans for Tax Reform and an affiliate, the Alliance for Worker Freedom, have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether White House visits by a top union official exceeded the allowable threshold for persons not registered as lobbyists. The last time around, the inquiry centered upon Stern. This time around, it is focusing on the union's secretary-treasurer, Anna Burger.

SEIU President Andrew Stern Is Frequent White House Visitor; May Have Violated Lobbying Laws

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Wed, 11/18/2009 - 18:44

Andrew SternAndrew Stern is a close friend of President Barack Obama. That's hardly a revelation. His organization, the Service Employees International Union, spent more than $60 million to get him elected. And President Obama has made clear that he is fully committed to promoting the political goals of organized labor. But Stern may have gone outside federal law in his nearly two dozen documented White House visits through this mid-September. The SEIU president is a former registered lobbyist, but has been acting as though he is still one. A prominent Washington, D.C. nonprofit group and one of its affiliates recently sent a long letter recommending a federal investigation into the possibility that he's blurred the distinction between political support and lobbying.

Union Monitoring Group Releases Worker Freedom Index

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 12/17/2007 - 01:00

Defining “worker freedom” in this country is a subjective task.  At minimum, it ought to include a law protecting the right of individual workers to choose whether or not to join or remain in a labor union.  Yet other criteria also would seem to qualify – and on a state-by-state basis.  A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), has been doing just that.  And now the fruits of its labors have arrived.  On December 6, the alliance released a monograph titled, 2007 Index of Worker Freedom:  A National Report Card.  Prepared under the supervision of AWF Director of Policy Brian M. Johnson, the study assigned a grade to each state based on 10 factors affecting worker freedom.  The 75-page report, available in hard copy and on the group’s website (www.workerfreedom.org), should serve as a valuable reference for employers, employees, public officials and researchers.

Syndicate content