This past week, Florida Watchdog reporter Marianela Toledo wrote a superb article exposing the propaganda and tactics utilized by the SEIU in conducting a campaign to organize workers at the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (see SEIU moves to organize Fort Lauderdale airport workers). I previously became acquainted with Marianela when I took interest in a prior article of hers, Labor unions have some wild ideas about ‘work’. I sent Marianela an e-mail praising her fortitude and the quality of her work. Thereafter, she sent me an email requesting a discussion of my personal experiences. We spoke on the telephone and I explained to her my thoughts on the SEIU’s true motives, and the strategies they used in their organizing tactics to accomplish these motives.
I also sent Marienela a copy of my book, The Devil at Our Doorstep, in hopes that it would provide insight into the SEIU’s efforts and to provide context as to that which she and the residents of Broward County were witnessing. Marianela performed her own investigation into the SEIU’s actions with respect to workers at the Fort Lauderdale Airport based on what she was able to learn about the SEIU. Her investigation exposed the SEIU tactics, and misrepresentation made by its local SEIU business manager. The investigation found that the SEIU had coerced some of the employees into filing claims with the Department of Transportation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, including claims that employees were made to clean up urine, blood and vomit without proper safety equipment such as gloves or masks and employees were not adequately trained to properly clean potentially hazardous waste.
While Marienela did not receive a response from OSHA or the DOL, the Department of Transportation released a statement that “the [SEIU’s] allegations regarding the insufficiency of training by Complainants are not supported by the evidence, see the DOT’s Response. Further, the DOT found, “The Complaint is misleading and meritless. The Enforcement Office has, therefore, determined that any further investigation into the Complainants’ allegations is unjustified and unnecessary.” Despite the DOT’s findings, the SEIU’s spokesman, Allen, in typical SEIU fashion, said in response to the DOT’s letter that, “We didn’t do anything malicious or misleading with the information that we got.”
To Mr. Allen, I say “Balderdash!” The SEIU actions were straight out of their playbook. They did what they always do, and then misrepresent themselves afterward! The scenario played out above is similar to tactics used against my company – as chronicled in The Devil at Our Doorstep – when the SEIU filed a complaint in Cincinnati, Ohio that our employees at a local college were forced to dispose of human body parts in bags every night, despite the fact it was not a medical school and cadavers were not present! OSHA dismissed the SEIU’s complaint in that matter, as well.
Marianela concluded her article with excerpts from our interview combined with stories from my book, which was highlighted in the article. Additionally, …read more