MAJOR CHANGE WITH STATE OF CA. ORGANIZED LABOR

by Bob Walsh

SEIU is the bargaining agent for a lot of CA state civil service workers.  A self-described outsider has just ousted 13-year president Yvonne Walker from her (lucrative) seat as head of the union.

Richard Lewis Brown won the election.  His major issue was to promise that SEIU Local 1000 would, under his leadership, get completely out of the business of political campaign donations and would concentrate on a core of worker representation.  As with many government employee unions much of the rank-and-file are fairly conservative people while the folks running the organization are often psycho-liberals.  Brown also promised to slash membership dues by half.

Brown got 33% of the vote, Walker got 27%.  Three also-rans got 15%, 14% and 10%.  SEIU represents about 100,000 state workers.  Only 54% of the members of the bargaining units represented by Local 1000 are members of the union.  

Three vice-presidents of the union are also elected by the membership.  Much of the membership gets paid minimum wage.