Regardless of backing progressive pols and causes, highly effective labor union SEIU 1199 refuses to honor its personal beliefs with regards to investing the money it controls, and even in standing up for its personal employees.
Repping 125,000 health-care employees primarily within the New York space, the union backs a Who’s Who of uber-left Democratic pols reminiscent of Rep. Alexandria “Tax the Wealthy” Ocasio-Cortez and state Sen. Michael Gianaris.
It was central to Invoice de Blasio’s rise to the mayoralty, and backed far-left Maya Wiley in 2021; it’s just about assured to aspect with the leftmost electable candidate in any race.
Rejecting requires extra numerous asset administration, 1199 ruthlessly chases stable returns on its multibillion-dollar pension funds by way of big-name Wall Avenue companies, hedge funds and private-equity teams.
“They’ve little or no invested with minority-run funding funds,” mentioned Robert Greene, CEO of the Nationwide Affiliation of Funding Corporations.
That’s: 1199 units ideology apart when its personal pursuits are at stake; it simply needs everybody else to pay for “social justice.”
That chilly calculation may clarify why it’s been stonewalling the The Ain’t I A Lady Marketing campaign, a grassroots group which fights for the rights of dwelling care employees, most of them ladies of coloration and new immigrants.
Notably, 1199 this yr opposed a Metropolis Council invoice to eradicate the 24-hour workday for dwelling care employees, which leaves them solely paid for 13 of these hours.
The union has advanced relations with well being insurers, the hospital trade and different care suppliers, allying with administration to foyer for ever-greater state subsidies for the sector and putting offers reminiscent of a $30 million arbitration settlement of a class-action go well with over misplaced wages that noticed the typical dwelling care employee get a modest $500 verify.
Throughout this yr’s state finances negotiations, the Empire Middle reported that 1199 backed a plan to successfully negate a promised minimum-wage hike by redirecting that cash right into a fund subsidizing employer-sponsored well being protection — a transfer that may have offered a money infusion to offset thousands and thousands in losses by the union’s home-care-worker profit fund.
Make no mistake: SEIU 1199 is a enormous drive in state and native politics.
Its chief, George Gresham, has even lectured Gov. Kathy Hochul: “We don’t be just right for you — you’re employed for us.”
Nevertheless it’s putting how typically “us” seems to imply Gresham and union leaders’ pursuits, not the membership’s wants or 1199’s personal beliefs.
