March 31, 2003
An Open Letter to:
SEIU California State Council
1007 7th Street, 4th Floor
Sacramento CA 95814
To Whom It May Concern:
When I learned of the SEIU mayoral candidate night, my campaign
contacted John Gezinski, an event coordinator. I promptly received a
phone call from SEIU's Ruby Anderson saying my questionnaire had not
been received. When I told her I didn't receive it, she kindly offered
to send it by fax. Again it didn't arrive as promised, so I called Ms.
Anderson to inquire.
Ms. Anderson then said that SEIU questionnaires were actually only sent
to a few candidates, and I was not one of them. When asked who received
the questionnaires, she said the information was private. I informed
Ms. Anderson that Libertarians strongly supported the right of workers
to organize. But I also said unions shouldn't be making the political
process less open and less democratic - especially unions whose members
are largely paid from public funds. Responsible union leadership seeks
to let workers hear all sides of the political debate, not only those
they personally favor.
Campaigns are simply marketplaces for ideas. By trying to limit debate,
union officials are conspiring to shut their workers out of that
marketplace. I care deeply for union workers and want them to succeed in
difficult times. Exclusionary tactics may serve the political interests
of union officials beholding to politicians, but they are not in the
interest of ordinary workers who could lose job opportunities because
their union might appear to be biased against members of the business
community.
As a business leader, I know the security of a broad and healthy
customer base. Sadly, SEIU's local leadership has chosen to rely on
heavily on government. The public sector is not in good economic shape.
Unions representing a diverse customer base back candidate promising to
balance government budgets with fiscal restraint. SEIU local union
leaders propose raising taxes which will lead to fewer jobs for workers
as a whole. That's why SEIU members need to hear from candidates who
represent the chance to broaden their base outside government, not just
establishment candidates who pander and offer the false hope of business
as usual.
Please help uphold democratic values and do the right thing for your
workers. Invite all candidates for office to your debate, and avoid the
embarrassment of having the event picketed by protestors saying 'SEIU
unfair to union members'.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Denny
SEIU Local 87 240 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA
94102-3750
Local Media
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