“Members are treated like dues paying cows that need to be milked and there is very little attempt to actually empower or support them.”
Former Employee, Sep 6, 2018 (full review)
SEE AN IN-DEPTH VIEW OF HOW FORMER AND CURRENT EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT THE SEIU
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND BARGAINING
The SEIU has been criticized for using ineffective tactics and failed to deliver a safe workplace for state government workers in California.
The SEIU has been accused by its members of using ineffective tactics that do not benefit the union’s membership.
- In 2023, the State Employees Association of North Carolina decided to disaffiliate from the SEIU, partly because they disagreed with the union’s tactics and said that they were ineffective.
- In 2020, the SEIU 1000 agreed to two furlough days per month for its California membership, a reduction in salary that equates to over 9% a year. The agreement also delayed a general salary increase of 2.5% that had been scheduled for July 1.
In 2019, the SEIU failed to ensure its members at a Vallejo, CA, office building were working in safe conditions.
- In 2019, the Vallejo, CA, Economic Development Department Office – staffed by SEIU members – was allegedly rat infested and unsafe for workers.
- Employees at the office were forced to contact ABC 7 News to cover the issue and claimed the conditions of the building were not only harming their health but also hurting the public they serve.
GLASSDOOR REVIEWS
An analysis of reviews from Glassdoor based on comments from alleged past and present employees reveal that many employees feel like the SEIU does not properly care for its members.
STRIKE BENEFITS
FAILURE TO PAY STRIKING MEMBERS A LIVING WAGE
There have been multiple instances where the SEIU has admitted to paying striking membership far below a living wage while they are on strike despite the union having over $400 million in assets.
- In 2019, an SEIU-UHW document revealed that striking workers would only be paid $200 dollars a week and only if the strike lasted longer than one week. This amounts to just $5.00 an hour for a forty-hour work week, far below what can be lived off of for workers.
- In 2019, the SEIU Local 503 claimed to pay striking workers $400 a week if the strike lasted longer than a week. This amounts to just $10.00 an hour for a forty-hour work week, still far-below a living wage.
- In the 2000’s, one SEIU member claimed she was only paid $10.00 a day after going on strike, she would go on to lose her job and her apartment.
UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE COMPLAINTS (ULPS)
Since 2020, the SEIU has seen over 1,000 unfair labor practice complaints against it, these range from allegations of coercion, bad faith bargaining, and threats and/or violence.
Unfair labor practice complaints are issued against unions when allegations by workers are made against the organization for a host of complaints that include bargaining in bad faith and coercion.