AUGUST 11, 2008 - We have just been informed by reliable sources that Julie Butcher, of SEIU, has been lobbying behind the scenes to prevent the members of the Municipal Construction Inspectors Association (MCIA) from obtaining the same MOU settlement her SEIU members received.

The 1,000 member MCIA is composed of the Inspectors that work for the Department of Building and Safety and Street Services. They have been without MOU’s since July 1, 2007. They worked out a settlement agreement that had the same basic COLA and raises that the Coalition of City Unions agreed to, including the re-opener clause for economic conditions, but apparently Butcher and SEIU do not want them to have this settlement.

EAA fully supported the MCIA and offered the MCIA leadership any help we could give them in their effort to negotiate new MOU’s. This is as it should be since they represent fellow city employees and we should all be working to support each other. SEIU-Butcher doesn’t seem to hold this same attitude. As you all remember, she worked against us getting our MOU’s with this same back door lobbying technique she is now using against MCIA.

Could the motive for her reprehensible actions be MCIA’s disaffiliating from SEIU last year? You see, SEIU made the same kinds of empty promises to MCIA that they are now making to you in their campaign to deceive you. MCIA, after experiencing SEIU-Butchers’ representation for several years, dumped them and has chosen to affiliate with a different union.

No matter what SEIU-Butcher’s reasons are for working against the interests of another city union, her actions are the opposite of good unionism and solidarity, but why should that surprise anyone? SEIU and Butcher are attempting to raid EAA as you read this.