If you work, or enjoy weekends and the 40-hour work week, this story matters to you.
America's biggest labor union, the Service Employees International Union, is suing leaders from one of its top former locals in a bruising federal trial that may well decide the future face of unions in California and perhaps across the nation. The outcome of this historic trial, which I've been covering daily with access to key sources, will shape the future of union democracy--whether unions function to engage and mobilize members, or merely to amass and service dues-payers. As American private-sector union membership has dwindled -- plunging to 7.2 percent last year -- movements to re-energize unions have emphasized democracy and member involvement. This trial will help decide which model of organizing and representing workers takes hold--a fate that will affect millions.
My story examines the larger significance and context of this trial, which ended with a jury verdict April 9. It also looks at the war between SEIU and an emerging rival, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, over who will represent the voices of some 400,000 health care workers in California.
