SEIU Chief on Walker: "This Is All About Power, Not Money"

Monday there was a blogger sit-down with Mary Kay Henry, national president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In Wisconsin the SEIU represents about 20,000 members, most of which work in health care-related fields.  About 4,000 are state workers, and the largest group of those are about 2,000 nurses at the UW Hospital, which ironically, isn't really a state agency now. The majority of Wisconsin SEIU members are in the private sector, and most of those are home health workers.

Henry is, in fact, one of those out-of-state union agitators Scott Walker blames for the occupation of the Capitol. She and some staff had flown in for the day to reinforce her SEIU ground troops in Wisconsin, and show the flag to inspire them and their brothers and sisters from the many public and private sector unions. Only in this case, the flag was a purple SEIU t-shirt.

Henry was energized by her experience at the Capitol, both from the scene inside, and the response to her speech at the noon outside rally. Cutting to the chase, she said: "This is all about power, not money."  Connecting the dots between Walker's actions and the national assault on the political clout of unions, Henry argued that "...collective bargaining is the last line of defense for the American middle class, and we will not concede on our voice on the job."

Emily Mills (Emily''s Post)  was also at the sit-down, and tied Henry's comments to the impending deep cuts in support to subsdized health care in Wisconsin:

Part of the debate about Walker’s budget proposal that’s been mostly overshadowed by the outcry over cutting collective bargaining, of course, is his desire to impose sweeping changes on the state’s Medicare system. That affects BadgerCare, Family Care, and SeniorCare, among other things. It’s all connected – especially for home health workers and for the working, low-income people of the state in general. Henry was sure to address those problems, as according to Shawn Doherty’s thoughtful piece in the Capital Times, “The provisions would allow the administration to revamp and even gut the programs without following state laws or the normal legislative processes.”

This is just as serious of an issue as the threat to union rights and deserves just as much of our indignation. We’re talking about putting into jeopardy the very well-being of our elders, the disabled, the most vulnerable populations in the state.

It's beyond ironic that many of the SEIU members providing health care services need BadgerCare themselves.

 

For a little much-needed humor, here's one of the best signs from Saturday, thanks to deke at Caffeinated Politics.

(That's very likely a SEIU nurse from UW Hospital. Anyone who has been cared for by them will tell you that UW Hospital nurses are wicked awesome.)

- Barry Orton

Comments

[Tim M.]

As one who has undergone FIVE kidney operations....the mere thought of a National Guard troop inserting a foley catheter makes me wince.

And I don't want an unelected political-patronage bureaucrat running ANY Medicaid-funded program in Wisconsin.

[Ofr]

Belling and Sykes ard being defiant and my wufe said they can go screw themselfs.
She als said that an eight car pile up just missed me this morning.

We hope that AG VanHollen will recommend that Gov Walker take his victory and move on.

[Steve Vokers]

It's hard to know what to be the most outraged about when reviewing the so-called budget repair bill. But even though my wife and I are both state employees, the Medicaid provisions scare us the most because we have a daughter with severe developmental disability. I appreciated Paul's presence at the press event on Sunday to raise awareness about the Medicaid provisions, and I appreciate you mentioning it here on the blog.

[Molly]

NEVER piss off a nurse, I always say. (Nurse advocate here).

Good to see people are talking about ALL of the provisions of the "repair".

[antpoppa]

My granddaughter Tatum, was upset when we drove her grandmother, Ronnie, to the Wisconsin Capital.
Within the roar of the crowd, she heard lions.
I heard the lions, saw them too.. Walking proud and free, so out of place in the city.
We need lions and a cult of heroes. Just contemplate the success of the dark forces, the authoritarian leaders, the social 'fixers' who are willing to pay any price to maintain wealth and power.
WE have witnessed war for profit.
WE have witnessed torture.
WE have witnessed destruction of infrastructure.
WE have witnessed massive casualties from natural disaster.
WE are witnessing the taking of control away from a normal society.
WE must take that leap of self belief, we are lions, we are heroes we are (as John Nichols states) Wisconsinites’.
WE must believe ourselves capable of anything.
and
WE probably are!

[Steve Rankin]

Actually, that's my 14 year old daughter in the picture, not a nurse. I work at UW Hospital, and she knows what inserting a Foley catheter entails. You can't see it in the picture, but she wore my SEIU shirt to represent me while I was at work.