Did the FBI Raid SEIU 721?
Wednesday evening a source within SEIU had tipped us off that the FBI were, at the moment, at the offices of Local 721.
Thursday morning the Communications Director of SEIU 721, Elizabeth Brennan emailed me to say nothing could be further from the truth.
So in an effort to allow Ms Brennan the opportunity to share her side of the story, I replied back asking her to give me details about what actually happened. Brennan then responded "What additional details are there? What you wrote is not true."
So in true, dialectic fashion I then asked Ms. Brennan "What was the FBI doing there?"
Crickets. No response.
Not "The FBI came by for a cup of coffee," or "That wasn't the FBI but Adee Plumbing," or "I'm going to say this and say it one time, the FBI was never here, not at all, no one, now we have to go back to the business of running this union for the workers."
So Ms. Brennan is saying what I wrote is not true (deny, deny, deny!) but she won't confirm if they were there or not.
A reader pointed out that "some people are saying the FBI was invited there by SEIU, others are saying it never happened."
When SEIU gets their story straight, or at least answers the question, we'll print it.
Thursday morning the Communications Director of SEIU 721, Elizabeth Brennan emailed me to say nothing could be further from the truth.
So in an effort to allow Ms Brennan the opportunity to share her side of the story, I replied back asking her to give me details about what actually happened. Brennan then responded "What additional details are there? What you wrote is not true."
So in true, dialectic fashion I then asked Ms. Brennan "What was the FBI doing there?"
Crickets. No response.
Not "The FBI came by for a cup of coffee," or "That wasn't the FBI but Adee Plumbing," or "I'm going to say this and say it one time, the FBI was never here, not at all, no one, now we have to go back to the business of running this union for the workers."
So Ms. Brennan is saying what I wrote is not true (deny, deny, deny!) but she won't confirm if they were there or not.
A reader pointed out that "some people are saying the FBI was invited there by SEIU, others are saying it never happened."
When SEIU gets their story straight, or at least answers the question, we'll print it.
Labels: elizabeth brennan, SEIU, seiu 721, unions
Posted by Michael Higby @ 9/18/2008 03:26:00 PM
39 Comments:
7 to 1.
Is it the money?
Is it something else?
One word;
Ludlow
That "Adee Do!" guy looks like the maitre'd at a middle eastern restaurant.
Yes, that's my comment.
You won't say anything unless it smears SEIU. It's your favorite past time.
SEIU are spammers, scammers and scabs. Spammers lie.
It's Thursday evening at Local 721. I've been waiting all day for Fox Mulder and Skully, or Skinner or the Men in Black. Nobody came. I am SO disappointed. Bob Aquino: "I want to believe!"
7 to 1.
Majority rules! Democracy lives!
Something Bob Aquino would know nothing about, since under his reign EAA hasn't had majority membership! 5% turnout for a strike vote. Que viva.
Stashing
Evidence
In
Underpants
Mayor Sam did offer SEIU the chance to tell their story.
Instead they spin. lie. spin. lie.
We will know eventually after the dust settles, the fingerprint dust.
Just need to wait a bit.
Sat
Election
In
Uniform (prison)
Palin thinks she is president, hahahahaha
She says Palin/McCain administration, hahahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKQDyL5gzc
Talk about rumor mongering. Had you bothered to read the LA Times this AM, 09/18/08, you would know that the SEIU conducted a detailed internal investigation of the leadership of the Long Term Care Workers local.
They then turned over the results of their investigation to the Federal government for a criminal prosecution. The role of the FBI is at the request of the SEIU to investigate and prosecute a corrupt leader and this involves interviews of potential witnesses, potentially those at other locals.
As for allegation that the FBI raided the office of SEIU 721, there is no mention of it in the article, and for that matter, no facts to support the claim of your anonymous tipster.
Fuck the SEIU, FBI investigating Obama campaign hacked Palin's email. Dang if that's true Obama is in deep doo doo.
It wasn't the FBI.
It was O.J. Simpson and the Keystone Kops just coming to get their shit back and give it to MRT.
"The role of the FBI is at the request of the SEIU to investigate and prosecute a corrupt leader and this involves interviews of potential witnesses, potentially those at other locals."
So does this mean the FBI was at SEIU 721 but only to interview people about Tyronne Freeman and SEIU 6434?
Thin, very thin given the on-going investigation into Annelle Grajeda at SEIU 721.
Looks like "Dick" stepped on his. Dumbass.
This is getting serious. Isn't this about the time yuo start calling for some investigation, Higby?
Usually, you suggest Hertzberg as the answer. To anythng and everything.
Well?
SEIU 721 had their Stewards
Awards dinner on Saturday 9-20-2008. Annelle showed up to present awards....as President of Local 721. We all were surprised to see her there because she had supposedly "stepped aside" after the LA Times investigative disclosures and subsequent investigation by SEIU. About a couple of weeks ago, after some emergency staff meetings, Bob Schoonover stated that he was now the president of Local 721. Is the SEIU investigation over? Has Alejandro Stephens been located and approached as a person of interest? Is Annelle back?
I can clear all of this up:
YES the FBI did come into the SEIU 721 office on Virgil. They DID take computers and they did take docs. However, 1199 was also raided a week and a half ago. Annelle is not back and she will not be able to get the position she was going to have in DC as head of the Public Sector Division.
The point is this: 721 is not the place you want to be right now. It's getting bad.
Something
Everyone
Identifies
Ugly
A persistent rumor from Northern California: Stern is increasingly worried about losing even "rigged" upcoming elections for the 4 merged locals. He's considering merging the 4 merged locals- without a vote, but with a jurisdictional hearing- into two mega-locals to retain control for three more years. Heard anything similar?
The SEIU action moves north to San Mateo County Thursday and Friday, September 26 and 27 as Stern stages the UHW West trusteeship hearing over trumped up charges of financial irregularities. Stern already lost this one in Federal Court as his lawsuit was tossed. So now Stern is staging a show trial where he gets to appoint the hearing officer and set the rules, and his hand-picked International Executive Board will make the final decision.
The UHW is not rolling over and Stern's kangaroo court will be confronted by thousands of angry UHW members from throughout the state.
Can you say Waterloo?
I hope Mayor Sam will follow the action for its readers in Southern California.
So, the inside source from last week was . . uhm . . RIGHT?
It sure seems that way, doesn't it?
It could also mean that the communications director for SEIU Local 721 is not a good spin doctor and explains why the FBI "visit" couldn't be flat-out denied. So does that mean 721 may have something to hide after all. If I were the legacy local 660/721 accountant, Danny Burke, I'd be as nervous as Mike Tyson in a spelling bee.
Have you heard if they're expecting to get Bob Spoonover and the Funance Committee like they did in the other megalocals? They should have known what they were approving. They could probably play dumb & stupid naturally.
Bob Screw-over can convincingly play dumb. The one most likely to walk the plank would be Annelle, the Treasurer or the Accountant.
Anonymous, September 18, 2008 7:41 PM,
The EAA has a 1 member, 1 vote in its elections.
I'm not sure if you've read, the one that now wants the higher dues & PAC fees from you, doesn't. Try reading the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle and many others as reference.
Want another? http://www.reformseiu.org/2008/08/taking-on-purple-machine.html
Read about the secret "SEIU-employer partnerships,"... block votes, slates, self-selected group of "members" who tend to be pro-administration.
Any questions?
Just got back from the UHW-W trusteeship hearings in San Mateo, CA. The hearings are going to take longer than expected and the Hearing Officer, Ray Marshall (President Carter's Secretary of Labor), has continued the remainder of the hearing for "sometime" after the November elections. Sterns' not happy with that.
UHW-W members were livid that this attempt at trusteeship was even happening and vowed that they would fight the trusteeship, even if it was imposed. An open mike for about two hours gave the members a chance to vent to Marshall and Sterns legal team. They wanted to know why Stern wasn't there to face them, why Stern didn't treat 721's Grajeda financial malfeasance with an attempted trusteeship of 721 also [good point, since UHW-W's 501 (c)(3)) political Education Fund (PEF) never left their E-Board's control and no one profited by it. 721's Alejandro Stephens pocketed the unions money in the form of a union salary, while still being paid as an employee of the County]. It was a little strange, being in San Mateo, and hearing Annelle Grajeda's name, being dropped more often than a greased football.
http://lang.dailynews.com/socal/lausdpayroll/?appSession=44036992438799
LAUSD Salaries. Can you say, "Feed The Pork". Total= $2,333,692! Salary > $200,000
Name Total Salary Job Title
BREWER, DAVID $300,000.00 SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
DAVIS, DONALD $217,692.00 Chief of Staff
EPHRAIM, RONNI $225,000.00 Dep Chf Acad Ofcr/Prof Lrng&Dev Elem Ed
HOLMQUIST, DAVID $229,500.00 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
KENDALL, JAMES $210,996.00 DPTY CHIEF EXEC EXISTING FACIL
MEDINA, MARIBEL $234,963.84 SPECIAL COUNSEL TO BOARD OF ED
MEHULA, JOSEPH $232,572.00 CHIEF FACILITIES EXECUTIVE
REED, KEVIN $248,256.24 GENERAL COUNSEL
REILLY, MEGAN $221,988.00 CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
TORTORICE, ANTHONY $212,724.00 CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
SEIU 721 Exec Board
Any idea what the salaries of SEIU 721 leaders are? MUCH more than their members, I bet! TWO to Three times more?
* Angela Portillo, Education and Trng
* Annelle Grajeda, Interim President
* Annette Jeffries, Secretary
* Arnella Sims, Courts
* Bob Schoonover, Vice President
* Cheryl Elam-Collins, Cities
* Dave Mulvey, Private Non-Profits
* Grace Corse, Registered Nurses
* Greg Hagans, Politics
* Harold Sterker, Health and Wellness
* Joaquin Avalos, At-Large
* Kathleen Austria, Treasurer
* Linda Templeton-Dent, Member Invlmnt
* Muriel Jones, at-large
* Rosie Martinez, Social/Econ.Justice
* Shannon Boggs, Organizing
* Stephen Butler, Counties
* Tony Bravo, Social Services
Why is Annelle Grajeda still listed and a new President not been elected yet? IS the FBI still examining the hard drives? Their raid & investigation will probably bring out new infractions. The leaders need to take responsibility for their waste!
NEW BY-LAWS NEED TO BE WRITTEN to benefit the MEMBERS! It's THEIR union and they OWN it... or so they think!
FBI Raid?
Where's the Mayor all this time? Political fund raising? Flying around the country avoiding the City problems? Is LAPD still in tow?
Where does the CAO & Controller stand on cutting back on HIS waste of taxpayer money?
So far Annelle Grajeda has not stepped down, only stepped aside. She still collects her $213K a year salary for being "President". The appointed Vice President Bob "Screw-over" is acting interim president, unless Annelle is in the room or on Bob's cell phone. The members serving on the Executive Board get a $350 stipend for each meeting. Guess where their loyalty lies?
The FBI has a lot to pour over and they're also busy with Tyronne Freeman, who may elect to "sing like a canary" to save his own skin from some serious prison time.
The Andy Stern School of Union Leadership may have to be boarded up.
On October 4, 2008 721 had its General Assembly and its first open mike "discussion" on the Draft Constitution and By-laws. The members were "hotter than a twice-scorned woman" over the lack of progress and the lack of true representation of the membership on the 5 person Governance Committee, which are drafting the By-laws. More on this from; http://cityoflosangelesseiumembers.com
The 721 leadership, sadly, decided to snub these angry members, so stewards from the legacy locals formed a sub-committee to challenge the leaderships' stubborn refusal to expand the Governance Committee to include more members. Lots more to come, stay tuned.
And the beat goes on at Stern's bunker!
Rickman Jackson, Tyrone Freeman's former chief of staff and a confirmed co-conspirator in Tyrone's thievery, was pushed out of being the APPOINTED head of SEIU Michigan and into a new job at SEIU Healthcare in DC HQ.
You can't keep a determined pig from the trough!
Especially a pig that's loyal to Uncle Andy!
An SEIU member
So what do you have to do to get fired?
The recent announcement of the plea bargain between SEIU and Rickman Jackson,
the person appointed by Stern and Burger to run the Healthcare local in
Michigan, raises several concerns:
1. Jackson was put on PAID administrative leave while the investigation was
ongoing.
2. The "investigation" found that Jackson stole at least $33,000 from some of
the lowest paid workers in the union, making $9 per hour.
3. The investigation does not explain what Jackson did with the additional
$25,000 he received from the International Union for "consulting services."
4. After having stolen this money from the members and promising to pay it
back, SEIU then gives Jackson another job.
5. Jackson's rate of pay in his new job is not specified.
Has any union representative had the experience where an employee steals
$33,000 from an Employer and the Employer agrees to allow him to repay the
money, while giving him another high paying job.
SEIU has said there will be no tolerance for corruption.
This agreement is itself corrupt.
Throw Jackson a bone or he'll sing like a canary. Stern's not that dumb.
But, what to do about Annelle? Stern can only stall for so long, then something's gotta give, baby.
Q: So what do you have to do to get fired?
A: Disagree with Andy or go to jail.
Were Local 1199 and Local 721's hard drives taken by the FBI because Freeman sang to the FBI? Hmmmm. So far, he's the only one that Andy threw under the bus.
Word has it that the DOL is also interviewing and seeking interviews with delegates to the 2008 SEIU Convention in Puerto Rico. Something about the "election" process may not have been all that Kosher.
Is the City and upper management supporting the SEIU raid on the EAA?
It's possible and from what I understand EAA has filed an Unfair Labor Practice because of this. Let's see if the Employee Relations Board takes this up. LAPMA was also swallowed up by SEIU, so there could be some substance to this charge.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home