Research

Even With FBI Investigation Into Big Labor Boss Andy Stern, Can Obama Afford To Remove Him From The Deficit Commission?

“The FBI And The U.S. Labor Department Are Investigating Prominent Labor Leader Andy Stern In Their Probe Of Corruption At The Service Employees International Union, According To Two People Who Have Been Interviewed By Federal Agents.” (Sam Hananel, “FBI Investigates Prominent Labor Leader Andy Stern,” The Associated Press, 9/28/10)

WILL OBAMA REMOVE STERN FROM HIS DEFICIT COMMISSION?

Obama Appointed Former SEIU President Andrew Stern To His Deficit-Reduction Commission. “President Obama has named four members to his bipartisan deficit-reduction commission, including Andy Stern, the influential president of the Service Employees International Union. … Stern has become an influential figure under the new administration after endorsing Obama in the Democratic primary. … Stern has been a fixture of White House summit meetings--perhaps most prominently, he was included in the health care industry meetings at the White House last year.” (Chris Good, “Obama Names SEIU's Stern To Deficit Commission,” The Atlantic, 2/26/10)

REMINDER: Stern “Abruptly Resigned As President Of The 2.2 Million Member SEIU In April.” “The disclosure about the federal inquiry of Stern - who abruptly resigned as president of the 2.2-million member SEIU in April - comes just weeks ahead of contentious congressional elections in which the union is spending an estimated $44 million to support its favored Democratic candidates.” (Sam Hananel, “FBI Investigates Prominent Labor Leader Andy Stern,” The Associated Press, 9/28/10)

OR WILL SEIU’S PLAN TO SPEND $44 MILLION FOR NOVEMBER COME INTO PLAY?

SEIU Plans To Spend $44 Million Total To Help Democrats In The 2010 Cycle. “The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) plans to spend $44 million in total on its 2010 election program. The union spent $85 million on its 2008 campaign, according to union officials.” (Kevin Bogardus and Sean J. Miller, “Unions To Spend $100M In 2010 Campaign To Save Dem Majorities,” The Hill, 5/21/10)

So Far In The 2010 Cycle The SEIU Has Spent $5,972,590 In Independent Expenditures, With 100% Supporting Democrats. (Campaign Cash: Service Employees International Union, The Washington Post, Accessed 9/29/10)

AFTER ALL, OBAMA AND THE DEMS “OWE” THE UNIONS

Obama Owes A Lot To Organized Labor For Helping Him Get Elected. “The Obama administration owes organized labor a lot for its victory in the presidential election, Vice President Biden said Tuesday, and will continue to push for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and other union-backed measures. ‘Everybody looks back on the election now and says it was a piece of cake,’ Biden said during a speech before a conference of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). ‘But let me tell you: You made it cake.’” (Michael O’Brien, “Biden To Labor Group: We Owe You,” The Hill, 5/12/09)

• Vice President Biden To Union Bosses: “[W]e Owe You.” (Michael O’Brien, “Biden To Labor Group: We Owe You,” The Hill, 5/12/09)

SEIU’s Andy Stern: “We Spent A Fortune To Elect Barack Obama — $60.7 Million To Be Exact — And We’re Proud Of It.” (Michael Mishak, “Unplugged: The SEIU Chief On The Labor Movement And The Card Check,” The Las Vegas Sun, 5/10/09)

 WHICH EXPLAINS WHY ANDY STERN WAS THE #1 VISITOR TO THE WHITE HOUSE

In 2009, Stern Was The Number One Visitor To The White House According To Visitor Access Records. “One thing is clear: Service Employees International Union president Andrew Stern holds sway at the White House, where he’s listed for 22 visits—the top number on the logs.” (Susan Davis, “SEIU’s Stern Tops White House Visitor List,” The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire Blog, 10/30/09)

• NOTE: Stern Has Visited The White House At Least 50 Times Since Obama Was Elected. (White House Visitor Access Records, www.whitehouse.gov, Accessed 9/28/10)