Dirty Tricks = Politics as Usual for Segat
Folks,
It has come to our attention that someone distributed flyers and emails to the membership at the Boston Police Department. Both the flyers and the emails were offensive and apparently threatened Segat and the 888 Staff and they were purported to have come from our team.
The Bring Back Our Union Team and Change888.org had nothing to do with this.
This is a simple “dirty trick” by the Segat campaign.
And it should surprise no one that the Segat campaign would stoop this low.
President Segat is desperate to hang on to power any way she can.
So we should expect more dirty tricks ahead.
The Segat campaign was probably trying to minimize the damage caused by recent revelations that Segat gave herself a $20,000 raise and handed out similar increases to her top appointees last year and then had to layoff 5 attorneys and reps because of 888’s ongoing budget crisis. And all this among layoffs and wage freezes faced by 888 members who paid the dues that Segat fritters away.
So Segat is doing anything she can to keep the focus off of her record.
If anyone comes across any more dirty tricks, fake flyers or offensive emails please let us know by posting a comment on this blog.
And please remember we are solely focused on getting the word out about the problems at 888 and Our Program for Change.
So don’t get distracted by these dirty tricks: Think about what you’ve seen from your Union for the past 6 years under Segat's administration and what you think your Union should be.
Together we can Change SEIU 888!
5 comments:
On Segat's blog under Rumor Control, she tries to explain away her outrageous salary -- higher than the other SEIU local leaders in Massachusetts who all lead far larger locals and with far better results. In so doing she makes several flat-out lies.
1) She states that part of her salary is as part of her work on the SEIU national board. The national board eliminated so-called "dual salaries" at the last convention. Why, because this is a patently corrupt arrangement. Any local leader serves on many boards and committees as part of the normal course of their work -- they are supposed to receive their local salary as a full-time officer and all of their work is supposed to be compensated by that. (By the way, to characterize what Segat does on the national board as "work", is to stretch the definition beyond belief.)
2) She claims that the president's salary is supposed to make them whole for their previous salary -- really? If the president of 888 had just been a CEO, or doctor, are we to believe that their 888 salary should be at the same level? Segat came to 888 from the SEIU State Council where she had a bloated salary and she used that salary as justification for her new salary running a local smaller than any of the other locals in the State Council.
3) She makes the false statement that the former president of Local 285 was paid at the rate 10% higher than any member. The president and secretary treasurer were paid on the City of Boston pay scale at the same rate as a title on the mid-upper range. There was an e-board policy at 285 that the president make 10% more than the staff of the local, not the membership of the local. If Segat were to adopt the same policy, she would be making about 88,000/year and we could use the 40,000 in savings to try to hire an additional rep.
If Segat can lie so boldly on her website, is it no wonder she can lie so boldly to staff and members? Its time to bring back our union!
There's a lot of negative comments about President Segat on this blog. I suppose I could be a smart*** and say that's because there are a lot of negative things about her to comment on (which would be true).
But in the last few days of this election, lets keep our focus. Most members I have talked with are either disatisfied or disillusioned. The reasons for dissatisfaction have been laid out: increasingly sporadic representation because of the highest staff turnover of any local in New England; a president who is far removed and out of touch with the membership; a president who is paid a higher salary (on a per member basis) than any SEIU local president in the country;abandonment of chapters even in the middle of bargaining; a culture of suspicion of member leaders and of hostility towards effective staff; a president who has burned bridges with other local unions and politicians; and on and on...
For those members who are disillusioned, the Change 888 Slate offers real hope for building on the best traditions in our union and bringing the union back to the membership. We need leaders who are in touch with the membership; who want to build solidarity; who will not demand and wheedle to get a bloated salary; who will be thrilled rather than scared by the prospect of an energized member leadership.
Enough of Segat, its time for a Change at 888!!!
Victory!!!! News of our win has already reached California -- check out this blog posting from the Democracy4SEIU blog in California:
Anonymous said...
All SEIU reformers at 521, 721, 1021, 221, and across Cali and the country -- take heart! The reform slate at SEIU 888 in Boston Massachusetts just defeated long-time beauracrat, hack, do-nothing President Susana Segat. Our local is an 8000 member municipal local which has been ravaged by Segat's inept management and leadership. We were a merged local drawn together from multiple legacy locals and Segat was appointed by Stern as the first president 5 years ago. She was able to win her first election three years ago through completely controlling the elecction apparatus. This election cycle we were able to defeat her by engaging the membership across the state who were fed up with a complete lack of representation (the member resource center at 888 was a cruel joke), the excessive salary of Segat who gave herself a 20,000 raise last year even as she laid off staff, a PR machine which constantly put out hyped up purple newsletters and communications which were completely disconnected from the reality of our jobs and lives, and a willful disregard for meaningful union democracy. Today, we think she suddenly has a new appreciation for union democracy as she heads to the unemployment office -- unless of course, her patrons in the International giver her a new assignment ... maybe in California where she once lived.
We are proud of our history in SEIU and we are not willing to see our heritage and futures hijacked by whatever the latest purple fad might be. Our story shows that determined rank and file activists can take back our union. We stand with SEIU reformers everywhere who share our hopes and dreams for a democratic union.
From an SEIU member for democracy
April 29, 2009 4:01 PM
As the spouse of a former staff member I just wanted to offer congratulations on winning the election. I watched as Susan Segat sucked the life out of several employees, firing those she couldn't control and making it impossible for your reps to do their jobs.
As president of your union Ms. Sagat had a fiduciary responsibility to use the assets of your local to the benefit of it members. As you all know, and if you actively question former and existing staff members you will quickly see that that has not been the case. I would not be suprised if the local members did not have a case against Ms. Sagat and her financial manager for gross mismanagement of union funds. If I we a member of this union I would be calling for action to be taken against her and try to recover some of your squandered funds.
Again, congratulation.
Great, great news, and congratulations all 'round to the elected slate, and the rank and file who voted with their hearts & heads!! Please be sure to let us all know how we can support the new leadership, since Segat (and Andy Stern at the International) will no doubt try all kinds of stunts to try to prevent the will of the membership from being implemented. If there's going to be a victory party, let us know! (You might want to consider having it as a fundraiser for the legal battle that may ensue!) Just wonderful, wonderful news--a well-deserved, hard-won victory! Kudos to you and the membership who voted!
Post a Comment