SEIU corrupts health care workers rights

SEIU is working hard to keep home health care workers in the dark about their right to leave the union (for background, click here). SEIU also wants to move the administration of home health care workers out of the state's hands.

How often do you see a government employee union want to contract out state work? That alone tells you something unusual (and fishy) is going on here. The union wants it because then home health care workers would not have the same rights to leave SEIU if they choose. This is about keeping the union dues flowing in from low-wage workers to SEIU, and preventing people from exercising the rights the Supreme Court has said they have.

Gov. Inslee and many legislative Democrats are bending over backwards to help SEIU, which is a major contributor to Democrats. They, too, benefit from keeping the dues money flowing. They're doing this even though contracting out to an outside entity will actually be far more expensive than keeping the task within DSHS. And they're pushing an anti-transparency bill even though every newspaper editorial board that has weighed in calls it a bad idea.

The governor and these legislators are withstanding the pressure so they can aid their ally and contributor. If this is about principles, it's sure hard to see it.

-Rob McKenna