Blago-Quinn-SEIU Scam Exposed

Obama Appointee Tied to Effort to Unionize Home Health-Care Workers

October 15, 2009

The plot thickens -- as in SEIU's pay-to-play plots in state government, including its most recent naked power grab: Its repugnant effort to intervene between children with disabilities and their parents by making home health care workers for disabled children in Illinois a closed shop.

In an editorial today on President Obama’s nominee to head the National Labor Relations Board, the Wall Street Journal shines a light on Craig Becker, an associate general counsel at SEIU whose career is traced back to Gov. Rod Blagojevich:

One of the many accusations leveled against former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is that he accepted money from the SEIU in return for taking actions giving collective bargaining rights to Illinois home health-care workers. While Mr. Becker denies any knowledge of, or role in, contributions to the former Governor, he does admit that he provided "advice and counsel to SEIU relating to proposed executive orders and proposed legislation giving homecare workers a right to organize and engage in collective bargaining under state law."

Gov. Pat Quinn picked up where Blagojevich left off when he issued Executive Order 09-15, which allows SEIU to try to takeover the Home-support Services Program. It is worth noting that Quinn is relying on SEIU's political muscle and campaign cash in his campaign for governor.

According to the Journal:

Mr. Becker says he "worked with and provided advice" to SEIU Local 880 in Chicago, a beneficiary of the newly unionized health workers, and one of two SEIU locals currently in the national spotlight for its deep ties with Acorn. Mr. Becker denies working for Acorn or its affiliates, but as recently as April Acorn co-founder Wade Rathke praised Mr. Becker by name, noting "For my money, Craig's signal contribution has been his work in crafting and executing the legal strategies and protections which have allowed the effective organization of informal workers, and by this I mean home health-care workers."

These “informal workers” -- in many cases parents who have chosen to care for their children -- now must fend off SEIU thugs harassing them at their homes, thanks to Gov. Quinn’s Executive Order.

This story highlights two familiar realities of Illinois politics: (1) how public sector unions and the politicians they own wire the system for their benefit; and (2) how people who play by the rules in this state get gamed by systems they finance.

Prior to Gov. Quinn’s intrusion, the program in question was a rare state program that actually worked: money flows to the families and the families control how the money is spent to best serve the individual needs of their child.

The only problem is that SEIU wasn't getting its piece of the action.

Thankfully, families whose children may be negatively impacted by SEIU's incursion are refusing to be bullied and are instead speaking out.

Because of the courage of these families, the gig is up for the Chicago Democrats and SEIU.

We need to rally behind these families and their children. We must take up their fight. We need to keep the pressure on Gov. Quinn, an otherwise decent if weak man, to call off his SEIU attack dogs and rescind his executive order.

In addition, for Republicans to speak with credibility on this issue, I renew my call that all Republicans in Illinois, including my opponent State Sen. Kirk Dillard, immediately cease accepting campaign contributions from SEIU.

I am the only candidate to make this pledge to date because I recognize that we cannot both take up the fight against SEIU's encroachments and be on their dole. We have to pick a side.

I choose to be on the side of families of children with disabilities in Illinois. My fellow Republicans will have to make their choice.