Obama-approved union group abusing janitors: it’s time to clean up union corruption

Obama-approved union group abusing janitors: it’s time to clean up union corruption August 25, 2016

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In Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago, unsuspecting tourists might see 25 foot tall inflatable rats hovering over the historical buildings like hideous floats in a parade.  These rats — with sharp, buck teeth, menacing eyes, festering stomach sores, and their own Facebook page – are strategically placed next to businesses which don’t use union labor. The message is clear: unions will not make life easy on you when you don’t comply with the union’s demands. 

New shenanigans in Texas make you wonder when America will tired of the unions being such bullies. 

Professional Janitorial Services (PJS) of Houston, Texas is a private company which cleans offices for organizations in their area. But the nation’s second-largest union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) figured out the janitorial service wasn’t union, and they weren’t happy.  

While the SEIU placed its giant rats and held rallies outside the locations cleaned by PJS employees, they also wrote to local civic and political leaders, falsely accusing PJS of breaking the law and treating its employees poorly. After trying unsuccessfully to force the janitorial company to join the service employee’s union, they settled instead for merely bullying the company and tarnishing their reputation. PJS says that SEIU filed false complaints on behalf of its workers with the National Labor Relations Board and leaked those “complaints” to the cleaning service’s customers. This included accusations of wage violations and employees filing class-action lawsuits. The SEIU also had a habit of surprise inspections, bringing with them employees from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These visits, clearly meant to intimidate, were directed by Obama’s Department of Labor.  

And boy do they have the influence.  It just so happens that SEIU, has a powerful ally in President Barack Obama. Before he was president, Obama was an organizer for SEIU Chicago Local 1.  As a senator, he helped get SEIU into the Houston area with one goal at the time — a mission shared with the National Democratic Committee — “Turn Texas Blue.” Later, when then-Senator Obama was campaigning for the presidency, he promised continued support to the union’s efforts after he made it into the White House.  (I guess that’s one promise he kept!) 

And that’s the real problem with unions.  When unions were created, employers really exploited workers without any safeguards against share cropping, child labor, dangerous mining conditions, or even slavery.  Unions combatted these deplorable conditions and fought for the American worker.  But times have changed, in part because they were successful. They served their purpose. Now, with (thankfully) less need, people stopped joining them. To combat shrinking membership rolls, unions got political, eventually becoming an unofficial arm of the Democratic Party. 

SEIU’s agenda is pretty plain.  Through appeal after appeal, SEIU has used its political influence to continue abusing PJS for the past nine years. (Lawyers have a joke, “In America, you always have your decade in court.”) Thankfully, the Texas Supreme Court denied the union’s final appeal to avoid a defamation suit by PJS that could destroy the union, and the trial is moving forward. 

In the end, it appears as though PJS has a strong case against the federal union… plus they have common sense and just plain ole math on their side.  Turns out, labor unions are costing American taxpayers dearly.  Their politics and extraordinary demands have already ruined the American auto industry, public education, and more.  When it comes to a choice between excellence and protecting the union’s interests, they choose against both employers and their employees every time.  It’s downright un-American to prohibit companies from managing their own employees, when the employees themselves make it clear they want no part of the union.  

As this case proceeds to trial, expect some very ugly facts about union behavior to become public.  The union has fought hard, all the way to the Texas Supreme Court to try to prevent disclosure of their thuggish tactics and bullying.   

It’s time to free both workers and employers from SEIU thuggery.  That’s why every American should be pulling for the janitors in this case: it’s time to clean up this union corruption. 


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