May 1, 2008
Contact: Dan Clawson
Phone: 413-545-5974 (office); 413-586-6235 (home); 413-695-8236 (cell) <<mailto:clawson at sadri.umass.edu>clawson at sadri.umass.edu>
IN MAY DAY LETTER TO SEIU PRESIDENT ANDY STERN, 100 SCHOLARS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS DEFEND RIGHT TO "PRINCIPLED DISSENT" AND CAUTION AGAINST UHW TRUSTEESHIP More than 100 scholars, artists and writers have signed a letter sent to Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president Andy Stern today cautioning him against placing the union's third largest local under "trusteeship."
The threatened International union take-over of 140,000-member United Healthcare Workers (UHW) - SEIU's third largest local - was first reported in a front page article in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 27, based on a letter sent by Stern to UHW President Sal Rosselli, who has called for greater democratization of the union's structure and functioning.
In their May 1 letter to Stern, the labor-oriented intellectuals note their past support for his union but warn that "putting UHW under trusteeship would send a very troubling message." It would, they said, "be viewed, by many, as a sign that internal democracy is not valued or tolerated within SEIU."
"We believe that there must always be room within organized labor for legitimate and principled dissent, if our movement is to survive and grow," the letter endorsers said.
For text of letter, see below
# # #
An Open Letter of Concern To Andy Stern About United Healthcare Workers-West Mr. Andy Stern, President
May 1, 2008 Service Employees International Union 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
Dear Andy:
We are writing to you as journalists, authors, political activists, and educators who are committed to organized labor because of its important role in social justice struggles in the U.S. Some of us have longstanding ties to SEIU and have done research, writing, or labor education work involving its members, organizers, and local leaders. Those of us who deal with graduate students or undergraduates have encouraged younger people to pursue internships or full-time job opportunities with SEIU and other Change To Win or AFL-CIO unions. A number of us belong to unions ourselves. Many of us have been part of community-labor coalitions or campus-based groups like Scholars, Artists, and Writers for Social Justice (when it was still active) because we support organizing and bargaining by janitors, cafeteria workers, and other service sector employees.
We are writing to express our deep concern about SEIU's threatened trusteeship over its third largest local, United Healthcare Workers (UHW). We believe that there must always be room within organized labor for legitimate and principled dissent, if our movement is to survive and grow.
Putting UHW under trusteeship would send a very troubling message and be viewed, by many, as a sign that internal democracy is not valued or tolerated within SEIU. In our view, this would have negative consequences for the workers directly affected, the SEIU itself, and the labor movement as a whole. We strongly urge you to avoid such a tragedy.
Sincerely,
Michael Albert, Author, co-founder South End Press and Z Magazine* Richard P. Appelbaum, Professor of Sociology, University of California-Santa Barbara Stanley Aronowitz, Professor of Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center Sara Abraham, Sociology, University of Toronto Frank Bardacke, Author and Educator Jennifer Berkshire, Journalist and Editor Elaine Bernard, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School Fred Block, Sociology Department, University of California-Davis Edna Bonacich, UC-Riverside Eileen Boris, Women's Studies Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara Joanna Brenner, Portland State University Robert Brenner, Professor of History, UCLA Kate Bronfenbrenner, Cornell ILR School Dan Brook, Sociology, San Jose State University Michael Jacoby Brown, Founder, Jewish Organizing Initiative Anita Chan, Australian National University Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), MIT Levon Chorbajian, Sociology, U-Mass, Lowell Dan Clawson, Sociology Professor, U-Mass Amherst Bruce Cohen, Associate History Professor, Worcester State College Tim Costello, Labor Researcher and Author Mike Davis, Author and Professor, UC-Irvine Ellen David-Friedman, Founder, Vermont Workers Center and former VEA Staff Member Michael Denning, Professor of American Studies and Director, Initiative on Labor and Culture, Yale G.William Domhoff, Sociology Professor, UC Santa Cruz Jill Esbenshade, San Diego State University Tess Ewing, U-Mass Boston Labor Center Rick Fantasia, Sociology Dept., Smith College Leon Fink, Professor of History, University of Illinois at Chicago Richard Flacks, UC Santa Barbara Bill Fletcher, Jr. Co-founder, Center for Labor Renewal & Exec. Editor, Blackcommentator.com John Bellamy Foster, Professor of Sociology, University of Oregon Harris Freeman, U-Mass Amherst Labor Center Yoshie Furuhashi, MRZine Bill Gallegos, Communities for a Better Environment William A. Gamson, Prof of Sociology, Boston College and former Amer Sociological Assn president Zelda Gamson, Senior Associate, New England Resource Center for Higher Education Dan Georgianna, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Sam Gindin, Packer Chair in Social Justice at York University, former CAW Research Director George Gonos, Sociology, SUNY Potsdam Suzanne Gordon, Journalist & Author Jim Green, Professor of History and Labor Studies, U-Mass Boston Brian Greenberg, Department of History and Anthropology, Monmouth University Michael Honey, University of Washington Thandabantu Iverson, Assistant Professor in Labor Studies, Indiana University Robin D.G.Kelley, Professor of History, USC Howard Kimeldorf, University of Michigan Jennifer Klein, Department of History, Yale Kitty Krupat, City University of New York Nelson Lichtenstein, Professor of History, UC Santa Barbara Stephanie Luce, Associate Professor, Labor Center, U-Mass-Amherst Biju Mathew, Assistant Professor of Business, Rider University Dale Melcher, U-Mass Labor Extension Tom Mertes, UCLA Center for Social Theory Jack Metzger, Emeritus Professor of Humanities, Roosevelt University Nancy McLean, Professor of History, Northwestern University James Monsonis, Professor Emeritus, Simon's Rock College David Montgomery, Professor Emeritus, Yale Carolina Bank Munoz, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College-CUNY Ruth Needleman, Professor of Labor Studies, Indiana University Manny Ness, Brooklyn College, CUNY Frances Fox Piven, CUNY Graduate Center Vijay Prashad, Trinity College Peter Rachleff, History Dept., Macalester College Marcus Rediker, History, Univ. of Pittsburgh Adolph Reed, Professor of Political Science, Univ. of Pennsylvania Thomas Reifer, Assistant Professor, Sociology and Ethnic Studies, University of San Diego Christopher Rhomberg, Yale University Corey Robin, Associate Professor, Political Science, Brooklyn College Ian Robinson, University of Michigan Carlos Rosado, Chicago-Kent College of Law Lucy Rosenblatt, Psychotherapist, Health Workers for People Over Profits Andrew Ross, New York University Robert J. S. Ross, Sociology Professor, Clark University Daisy Rooks, Rutgers University Jay Schaffner, Author and Moderator, Portside Michael Schwartz, SUNY Stony Brook Robert Schwartz, Author and Attorney Kim Scipes, Professor of Sociology, Purdue Dennis Serrette, President, United Association for Labor Education Rae Sovereign, Labor Studies Program, Indiana University-South Bend Chris Spannos, ZNet and Z Communications Judith Stepan-Norris, UC-Irvine Alan Wald, Professor, University of Michigan Richard Walker, Geography Dept., UC-Berkeley Immanual Wallerstein, Professor of Sociology, Yale University Victor Wallis, Berklee College of Music Andrea S. Walsh, Lecturer, MIT Dorian Warren, Columbia University Eve Weinbaum, U-Mass Amherst David Wellman, Sociology Dept., UC-Santa Cruz Suzi Weissman, St.Mary’s College of CA Cal Winslow, Fellow, Environmental Politics, UC Berkeley Steffie Woolhandler & David Himmelstein, Harvard School of Public Health and PNHP John Womack,History Professor, Harvard Michael D. Yates, Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh Dr. Quentin Young, PNHP Maurice Zeitlin, Dept. of Sociology, UCLA Howard Zinn, Author, Playwright, and Professor Emeritus, Boston University Michael Zweig, SUNY at Stony Brook
*Partial list. All institutional connections noted for identification purposes only. (Labor Donated)
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