Tag Archives: Tyrone Freeman

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SEIU: Tyrone Freeman Steps Down from ULTCW

Tyrone Freeman, the rising star who had led the United Long Term Care Workers local of SEIU, has stepped down from his post in order to allow an investigation into his spending habits.

Tyrone Freeman, president of the Service Employees International Union chapter, said in a written statement that he was taking a leave of absence and that the local would be placed in a temporary trusteeship.

“In order to ensure that any investigation of the allegations is fair and free from any question of interference or influence, I am taking a leave of absence effective immediately for the duration of the investigation,” the statement said. “I believe these steps will allow our union to continue to serve the best interests of our membership during this time.” (LA Times 8/20/08)

Freeman had been a star protege of SEIU International President Andy Stern, and had frequently clashed with United Heathcare Workers West president Sal Rosselli. Joe Matthews had an interesting post about this last week at Blockbuster Democracy:

Why does the action need to be so clear-cut? Because the labor movement is on the rise in Los Angeles. To attend a city council meeting or a mayoral press conference is to watch the labor movement governing the city. As the journalist Harold Meyerson has written, the rise of the LA unions as a labor force has been aided by the widespread perception that our unions are not old-style, corrupt empires. This is supposed to be new labor. The public needs to see transparency and accountability in the response to this.

As for Freeman, I hope he can make amends for this conduct and have a future in the labor movement. But it can’t be as president of this local.

While the move isn’t permanent, it would be hard to imagine Freeman back at ULTCW. My guess is that he finds a job elsewhere within SEIU, but likely outside of California.

Los Angeles Area

SEIU Local 6434 Faces Financial Criticism

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A major article in today’s LA Times alleges Tyrone Freeman and SEIU Local 6434 routinely misused local funds, including giving contracts to family members:

The Los Angeles-based union, which represents low-wage caregivers, also spent nearly $300,000 last year on a Four Seasons Resorts golf tournament, a Beverly Hills cigar club, restaurants such as Morton’s steakhouse and a consulting contract with the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent shop, records show.

In addition, the union paid six figures to a video firm whose principals include a former union employee. And a now-defunct minor league basketball team coached by the president’s brother-in-law received $16,000 for what the union described as public relations, according to the union’s U.S. Labor Department filings and interviews.

It’s not clear if there are any legal violations here, and Freeman and his family members deny that there was anything inappropriate in the contracts and spending:

“Every expenditure has been in the context of fighting poverty,” [Freeman] said…. Freeman, 38, said the union’s members have benefited from the money spent on the video production and day-care companies that his wife and mother-in-law operate at their homes, because of what he termed the high quality of the services.

The article goes on to detail the expenditures and flaws with them, some of which went to nonprofits in trouble with the IRS and “entities” associated with former LA Rams star Eric Dickerson that have been suspended from doing business in California.

Labor unions constantly have to battle the usually false perception that they misuse funds, and face a well-funded right-wing campaign that seeks to undermine unions for even the slightest error. Most unions, including those I’ve been a part of, are very scrupulous about how they use money to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, so I am very surprised to hear that this was going on.

And I’m not alone in that. The article quotes Nelson Liechtenstein, one of the nation’s leading labor historians, as follows:

It’s very important for unions not to do this kind of thing,” he said. “Union leadership is a public trust — all the more so when the people being represented are among the lowest-paid in America.”…

Lichtenstein said the [$418,000 golf] tournament spending was troubling under any circumstances.

“I don’t care if they’re making money or not,” he said. “It’s disconnected from the world of the people they’re representing. No one’s playing golf who’s a home healthcare worker.

And Joe Matthews at Blockbuster Democracy blog is even more critical, calling for Freeman’s resignation:

So this is going to be a difficult test of the union movement in LA and nationallly. But it’s a test. Freeman needs to step down and offer a full-throated apology. The union needs to ask for an independent audit of the local. And the public needs to hear immediately from union leadership — Stern, county labor chief Maria Elena Durazo, other top SEIU leaders such as janitors’ union chief Mike Garcia — about how such conduct must not be permitted in the movement. So far, the silence is deafening. Stern, in the story, refuses to address the conduct in question. That won’t cut it.

Why does the action need to be so clear-cut? Because the labor movement is on the rise in Los Angeles. To attend a city council meeting or a mayoral press conference is to watch the labor movement governing the city. As the journalist Harold Meyerson has written, the rise of the LA unions as a labor force has been aided by the widespread perception that our unions are not old-style, corrupt empires. This is supposed to be new labor. The public needs to see transparency and accountability in the response to this.

As for Freeman, I hope he can make amends for this conduct and have a future in the labor movement. But it can’t be as president of this local.

Matthews has it exactly right. The SEIU leadership needs to show that they won’t tolerate this kind of action within their ranks. Union democracy is important, and so is union accountability, union honesty, and union ethics. The misdeeds of one local unfortunately tend to get used to attack the labor movement as a whole – and Andy Stern and Tyrone Freeman in particular owe that movement answers and action.

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Hypocrite Sal Rosselli Exposed

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A letter was sent by Tyrone Freeman the President of SEIU-ULTCWU to Sal Rosselli the President of SEIU-UHW-West.
In the letter Tyrone tells Sal that he just learned that Sal has been having secret back-door meetings and deals with a group of nursing home employers over economic issues covering bargaining unit workers where the two SEIU unions have joint representation to a master collective bargaining agreement.  He goes on to say it is a violation of the responsibility and fiduciary duties of a union leader and in violation of the fundamental principles of trade union democracy.
The secret deal was signed by Sal's union on 1/21/08 with the employers of Covenant Care, Kindred, Country Villa, Sun and Salva.  None of SEIU-ULTCWU members or even their staff were apart of the agreement or conversations, which means member contracts were being negotiated without the members or their knowledge.  The reason for this posting is the hypocrisy of Sal, who has tried to call out SEIU International's President Andy Stern for doing exactly what Sal is now caught doing himself, making deals with employers without member involvement.  In addition, Tyrone states Sal has been doing this without Sal's own members, the rank and file workers, but a group of hand picked workers bound to the secrecy of a pledge. 
The secret agreement uncovered states that both sides (Sal's union and the employers) will be “off-the-record”, except where terms of this agreement are sought to be enforced, absent the written consent of all parties.  It goes on that all parties shall not disclose their conversations to the media, the NLRB, or other government agencies, a mediator, arbitrator or court of law.  However, if you are under oath with a THREAT of judicial contempt, then tell the parties, before testifying. 
Tomorrow in Los Angeles Sal is arranging a protest of Andy for what Sal has just been caught doing.  The interesting question who now turns out, who turns out knows about this back door deal and will they still support Sal?  Finally, will Sal's own members believe these uncovered documents or follow him blindly into the abyss.
Cross-posted at San Diego Politico.