As a result of Sodexo’s lawsuit against the Service Employees International Union, a subject covered often by this website, the Washington Times has uncovered a very interesting document- the SEIU’s Contract Campaign Manual.

You can view the SEIU’s Contract Campaign Manual online here.

This manual is a treasure trove of information about the SEIU’s tactics in pressuring employers in labor disputes. Furthermore, it is proof of endemic hostility to employers, with the end goal being results at any cost.

But don’t take our word for it- according to the manual-

…Outside pressure can involve jeopardizing relationships between the employer and lenders, investors, stockholders, customers, clients, patients, tenants, politicians, or others on whom the employer depends for funds.

The manual doesn’t stop with merely advocating legal means to pursue their agenda. It suggests that illegal actions may be necessary:

Union members sometimes must act in the tradition of Dr. Marin Luther King and Mohatma Gandhi and disobey laws which are used to enforce injustice against working people.

It even goes so far as to suggest how to blackmail employers- legally:

It may be a violation of blackmail and extortion laws to threaten management officials with release of ‘dirt’ about them if they don’t settle a contract. But there is no law against union members who are angry at their employer deciding to uncover and publicize factual information about individual managers.

How could the SEIU directly advocate this kind of behavior? Unfortunately, these statements are directly in line with SEIU behavior seen in many different cases.

SEIU’s Contract Campaign Manual is instructive in that it shows exactly what the SEIU thinks about their role in negotiations with employers. The SEIU operates with one very clear goal in mind- expansion at all costs. This single devotion to growth puts the needs of employees and employers secondary to the growth of the union, and can even jeopardize the entire goal of the union in the first place.

The SEIU needs to seriously re-evaluate their focus to actually attend to the needs of their members rather than encouraging them to take part in activities that are more likely to benefit the union’s needs rather than their own.

Note: All quotations from the manual presented in their original, grammatically incorrect and misspelled forms.