Hi.  Noting Doug's sadness at the lack of SEIU apologists on this list, I thought I'd join formally (I read the archives sometimes while I make calls at my work), and lay out some of my perspective on the union he mentioned.  I work for SEIU, as a turf organizer among hospital workers in Las Vegas.  While I'm 26 and a fairly party-line purple militant, I believe you'll find I--- like most actual organizers, staff, and officers of SEIU--- defy the stereotypes about us.  My mom was a nurse, and I've been both a janitor and nursing home employee; I didn't go to college, I plan to continue organizing for the rest of my adult life (pays better than moving furniture!), and I maintain a certain amount of agnostic, critical attitude towards my patron.  Plus I think Andy Stern is a dumb pipsqueak. I'm not much of an 'apologist', though, in the sense that I'm baffled why anyone would feel the need to apologize for being a part of one of very few actually-existing mass organizations in the US.  I do wish SEIU would talk to and participate in the Left more, and try on my part to do a little of that.  There is a fair amount of discussion about the union (mostly very negative) on the left; while any debate about an actually-existing union I feel is healthy compared to much of what us leftists will talk about if left to our own devices, I do feel that most of what is said is extremely un-informed about the actual pros and cons and internal logic of SEIU.  So as my first post to this list I'd like to try to lay out a few very very basic things about the union (and I'll speak in a blunt, internal style--- not like the hokey press release 'messaging' that is our official voice); also give my own opinion about some of the controversies.  That email will follow this one if I can post correctly here. Jim