Indictment of former SEIU Union Leader's Timing Not the Type of Bad Publicity Prop 32 Opponents & Organized Labor (Tyrone Freeman) Wanted to See Before the Upcoming Election?

Indictment of former SEIU Union Leader's Timing Not the Type of Bad Publicity Prop 32 Opponents & Organized Labor Wanted to See Before the Upcoming Election?

This message is reprint essentially of an email sent to Blogger Bob by the National Union of HealthCare Workers [National Union of Healthcare Workers, 5801 Christie Ave.
Suite 525,Emeryville, CA 94608]--I think it bears note in light of the upcoming elections:

"-SEIU leader faces up to 200 years in jail
  -Tyrone Freeman indicted on 15 felony counts including embezzlement and mail fraud
  -SEIU-UHW's Leon Chow leaves Supervisor race

SEIU leader indicted

Tuesday, former SEIU leader Tyrone Freeman was indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on 15 counts, including embezzlement, mail fraud, and filing false tax returns.

The indictment, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, states that Freeman misused hundreds of thousands of SEIU members’ dues dollars while he was President of SEIU Local 6434, which represents 170,000 low-wage homecare workers across California. Freeman also served as a Vice President of SEIU’s International Executive Board.

The charges, which could result in a jail sentence of up to 200 years, allege that Freeman spent union members’ dues on lavish golf tournaments, Beverly Hills cigar bars, spa treatments, his own wedding in Hawai’i, and payments to family members’ businesses.

The criminal indictment offers an important perspective on SEIU’s disastrous trusteeship of SEIU-UHW. In 2009, SEIU removed SEIU-UHW’s democratically-elected officials for resisting SEIU’s order to transfer 65,000 members to Tyrone Freeman’s SEIU Local 6434. Freeman was a close ally of SEIU President Andy Stern, who appointed Freeman to his position and “nurtured Freeman’s rise in the union,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Criminal investigators now believe that Freeman used members’ dues to pursue a “lifestyle of $175 glasses of cognac, $250 bottles of wine and a $3,400 trip to the NFL Pro Bowl,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Freeman joins a long list of SEIU officials who’ve participated in a culture of corruption at the union, including Annelle Grajeda, Alejandro Stephens, Wade Rathke, Bruce Raynor and Rickman Jackson.

SEIU-UHW's Leon Chow leaves Supervisor race

Also this week, SEIU-UHW Director of External Affairs and Executive Board member Leon Chow shuttered his campaign for San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors after newspapers reported on Chow’s apparent violations of California election laws. Chow reportedly violated state laws by registering to vote in San Francisco even though he lived in a different county. Chow’s campaign to unseat incumbent Sup. John Avalos -- one of the board’s most progressive members -- was backed by SEIU-UHW and the Chamber of Commerce.

Please visit our website at www.NUHW.org and feel free to contact us with any questions at info@nuhw.org!"

 ..

Blogger Bob's comments

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.. While the general public kinda blurs things together on "SEIU", they clearly should not. SEIU has been active and bringing representation to many people that needed the help. How much of this indictment results from internal policing is not known. It was not that many years ago that Hoffa, Jr. had a fight with another contingent of the Teamsters. The result was federal intervention and indictments. It looks like SEIU Freeman got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. More union scrutiny maybe is in the horizon

... I for one, having watched "Non-Affiliated Committee's" (state political PACs) fund oppositions AGAINST pro-union candidates (John Coffey--33rd AD) in the last election cycle and actually support candidates that were staunch right-to-work (anti-union) candidates (Bill Jahn) instead, was a thing to behold, and maybe something membership SHOULD maybe have more control over the funds being used for same? [e.g. should they know their fees are being used to back people that want to fight union-backed candidates?]

...Are the San Bernardino County public employee unions next? There is a real fight coming up with the pension plan liabilities in San Bernardino County..Lovingood and Roelle are the 2 supervisorial candidates for the 1st Supervisorial District with differing views of what, when and how should legacy liabilities (like pensions) be given the sacred cow blessing. Potential swing votes on the Board? Stay tuned.