Workplace Blog

Z Net: SEIU: How Democratic?

May 23, 2008 By Dan Clawson
Source: MRZine

For the first time in a generation or more, SEIU is facing a substantial movement by internal dissidents seeking to push through democratic reforms. This push has a two-fold character.

One prong is the very public resignation by Sal Roselli, the head of United Healthcare Workers — West (UHW), the third largest local in SEIU, from his position on SEIU’s national Executive Committee. When he resigned, and since, he raised issues about the course that is being pursued by national SEIU. With the backing of the UHW executive board, the local has created a highly visible web site, paid for an ad in the New York Times and ads on prominent blogs, and is putting the issue of democracy on the agenda for the SEIU convention. The other prong is SMART (SEIU Member Activists for Reform Today), a rank-and-file movement with the potential to create an on-going TDU-like internal opposition in SEIU.

The Guardian: Lecturer union urges moral review of Israeli college links

A lecturers’ union was last night accused of launching a new academic boycott of Israel after it agreed a policy to call on its members to “consider” their links with Israeli institutions.

The Chronicle: British Faculty Union Calls for Preconditions on Working With Israeli Academics

Britain’s largest faculty union was described as “racist” and “McCarthyite” on Wednesday after its annual congress approved a resolution asking members to question Israeli academics on their political views before working with them.

The new policy for the 120,000-member University and College Union was adopted by a show of hands of the 300 delegates in attendance after an hourlong debate in Manchester, England. The question of how to carry out the policy was referred to the organization’s leadership.

The Telegraph: Lecturers to debate ‘boycott’ of Israeli universities

Academics are preparing to reignite an international row as they urge fellow lecturers to consider whether they should sever links with Israeli universities.