Statement by NUHW Interim President Sal Rosselli on the Likely Resignation of SEIU President Andy Stern

OAKLAND, Calif., April 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If the reports are true, and Andy Stern steps down as the head of SEIU, a sad chapter in the once proud union's history will come to an end.

Stern's legacy is that he took control of an organization built by more than a million hardworking janitors, healthcare workers, and public servants, and used their resources primarily to secure his own political power.

Instead of helping workers fight for better jobs, Stern gave himself the authority to cut secret deals with corporations and trade away workers' rights.

Instead of helping workers build their own strong organizations, he "restructured" existing unions and put his own loyalists in charge: appointees like Tyrone Freeman who could always be trusted to vote with Stern, even if they couldn't be trusted to keep their hands out of the till.

Instead of uniting workers, Stern split the AFL-CIO in half, only to tear apart his own "Change to Win" federation four years later with an unprecedented raid on Unite Here.

Last year, healthcare workers in California realized that if they wanted a real voice at work, they would have to find it outside SEIU. When Stern came to take control of their union, they founded the National Union of Healthcare Workers, NUHW.

Stern's multi-million-dollar fights against NUHW and Unite Here have diverted resources away from healthcare reform and employee free choice, weakening the former and scuttling the latter. These wars of choice have taken a toll on the union's finances as well as on Stern's credibility.

Stern's departure would leave SEIU with a crisis of leadership. His likely successors, Mary Kay Henry and Anna Burger, have been tarred by the same ethics scandals and failed policies that marred his tenure. Stern's legacy is that SEIU has become a rogue union, undemocratic, unable to pay its bills, and unwilling to defend its members at the national level.

The challenge for SEIU is not simply to choose a successor, but to reverse years of bad policy, restore accountability, and steer away from the brink.

Sal Rosselli is the Interim President of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). Prior to helping form NUHW in early 2009, Rosselli served as president of the third largest SEIU affiliate and the International Union's executive council.

SOURCE National Union of Healthcare Workers