NYT: Union Linked to Corruption Scandal

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/us/politics/12union.html?ref=politics

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: December 11, 2008

The Service Employees International Union has long boasted that it is on the cutting edge of the labor movement. But it found itself badly embarrassed this week when it was linked by name to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich’s maneuvering to secure some financial gain from picking the next Senator from Illinois.

The federal criminal complaint filed against Mr. Blagojevich said his chief of staff, John Harris, had suggested to a service employees’ official that the union should help make the governor the head of Change to Win, the federation of seven unions that broke away from the A.F.L.-C.I.O. The complaint said Mr. Blagojevich was seeking a position that paid $250,000 to $300,000 a year.

In exchange, the complaint strongly suggested, the service employees union and Change to Win would help persuade Mr. Blagojevich to name Valerie Jarrett, President-elect Barack Obama’s first choice, as the state’s new senator. And the union would get help from the Obama administration, presumably for its legislative agenda.

Several union officials in Chicago and Washington said that the service employees official approached by Mr. Harris was Tom Balanoff, the president of the union’s giant janitors’ local in Chicago and head of the union’s Illinois state council. Mr. Balanoff, one of the union officials closest to Mr. Obama, is widely seen as an aggressive, successful labor leader, who has helped unionize thousands of janitors not just in the Chicago area but also in Texas.

Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Mr. Balanoff said, “I can’t comment on anything right now.”

The Illinois branch of the service employees issued a statement on Wednesday night saying, “We have no reason to believe that S.E.I.U. or any S.E.I.U. official was involved in any misconduct.” It added that the union and Mr. Balanoff “are fully cooperating with the federal investigation.”

FULL story at link.

I don't believe it. I think it's impossible that a union would ever get involved in political deals like this. Besides, there's no way that a union would work with a politician that some of their members might not actually support.

No. Don't unions make sure they always are representing their workers before getting involved with politics? It doesn't seem fair if they endorsed politicians that their workers didn't like.

And no I don't think unions get involved with murky stuff. That's not what they're about. That has nothing to do with helping workers so I can't see them getting into dirty politics.

My local didn't endorse even though the National office did. To many R's in the local. Remember I'm in a very red state. But Omaha got Obama one vote of 5 in the state.