SEIU-UHW spent $37.5 million on “political activities and lobbying” in 2018, which is more than their entire expenditure on organizing and representing membership during the same period. In fact, three-quarters of the political spending can be broken down into six recipients, each some form of a political consultant group pushing for certain statewide initiatives:
- $14.9 million to Waterfront Strategies (Washington DC)
- $4.6 million to the Fairness Project (Washington DC)
- $2.5 million to Kimball Petition Management (Thousand Oaks, CA)
- $2.1 million to Ohioans for Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection (Ohio)
- $1.2 million to Savvy Communications (Rancho Mirage, CA)
- $2.2 million to Greenstripe Media, Inc. (Newport Beach, CA)
In other SEIU news,
- An ex-SEIU officer in Chicago, Robert Kurtycz, was found guilty of six counts of wire fraud.
- A Washington State SEIU affiliate settled a suit last month, admitting that one of its canvassers forged a woman’s signature and the union has since been illegally withdrawing dues from her.
- After being under an imposed trusteeship for years, Local 73 held its first election for new leadership in October 2018. Last month, the Department of Labor overturned the election due to union misconduct and ordered a new one scheduled, with government oversight.
