Posted: September 18, 2009

By Doug Ibendahl

 

Congratulations to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on the action they took yesterday to deny all federal funding for ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).

 

If you watch Fox News, the only media outlet that has consistently reported on ACORN's troubled history, then you're very familiar with the organization's latest scandal.

 

According to a report by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 361 entities compose the ACORN Council. Eleven of those entities are in Illinois.

 

Possibly the most visible face of ACORN in Illinois is its sister organization SEIU Local 880.

 

ACORN founder Wade Rathke referred to super-union SEIU Local 880 as "one of the pillars of the ACORN Family."

 

SEIU Local 880, currently representing approximately 28,000 home care workers and day care workers across Illinois, was founded twenty years ago with the active help and assistance of its self-described sister organization, ACORN.

 

But while many regular citizens are just now beginning to connect the dots, our elected officials have long been aware of ACORN's influence over SEIU Local 880 in Illinois.

 

The relationship has always been there for all to see. Just take a look at the email address SEIU Local 880 lists for itself at the top of its homepage: seiu880@acorn.org.

 

ACORN Housing Corp. and SEIU Local 880 also share the same street address in Chicago - 209 W. Jackson Boulevard (see here and here).

 

When it comes to influencing our elected officials, ACORN-founded SEIU Local 880 is at the top of the clout list. SEIU Local 880's own website brags about that influence this way: "SEIU has clout - the power to make things happen at the bargaining table, in the political arena, and workplace."

 

Most of SEIU Local 880's influence comes in the form of contributions to the campaign coffers of both Republicans and Democrats. According to reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections, SEIU Local 880 has contributed a total of well over $1,000,000 since 1994 to politicians of both parties.

 

SEIU Local 880's contributions are heavily weighted towards Democrats, but that hasn't stopped some Republicans from also accepting the union's largess.

 

State House Minority Leader Tom Cross' campaign fund has received $17,750 from the ACORN-founded SEIU Local 880 since becoming House GOP caucus leader in 2003. Cross has received an additional $10,000 from SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana PAC.

 

The President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana and a head organizer of SEIU Local 880 is Keith Kelleher. Kelleher was also an ACORN organizer for over 20 years.

 

Tom Cross has benefited from other ACORN-related union contributions in addition to what his own campaign committee received. The House Republicans have a separate PAC called the House Republican Organization (HRO). That's the organization that helps the campaigns of Cross' loyalists running for State Representative.

 

The ACORN-founded SEIU Local 880 has contributed $15,000 to the HRO since Tom Cross became Minority Leader. HRO has also received $7,000 from ACORN affiliated SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana PAC.

 

In addition, Tom Cross' top lieutenant is State Representative Skip Saviano. Saviano is also the Chairman of the HRO. Saviano's own campaign committee has received $12,750 from the ACORN-founded SEIU Local 880. All but $1,000 of that total was received after Saviano became Chairman of the HRO in 2003.

 

Have the tens of thousands of dollars received from ACORN-founded SEIU Local 880 influenced Tom Cross?

 

Well, consider that on July 16, 2003, then-Governor Rod Blagojevich signed a bill guaranteeing 20,000 "personal assistants" represented by SEIU Local 880 the right to negotiate a contract with the state. The law codified an earlier Executive Order, signed by Blagojevich on March 7, 2003, granting the caregivers collective bargaining rights. Tom Cross voted YES on the bill to codify Blagojevich's Executive Order.

 

Robert Bruno, a labor expert with the Chicago Labor Education Program of the University of Illinois, once commented that the 2003 action by the state legislature was proof that SEIU "has become a premier political player in the state of Illinois."

 

Bruno added, "[There are] real implications because this is a union that's very focused on progressive public policy and is addressing some of the most pressing social problems in the country-education, housing, health care. They're not only politically very influential but the kinds of policies they'll be focused on will have a lot to do with redistributing wealth and income to those at the bottom of the economic ladder." [Emphasis added.]

 

Two years later in 2005, Blagojevich signed the first contract with SEIU Local 880. The Chicago Tribune reported at the time, "The contract will cost the state $250 million over the length of the agreement, boosting child care expenses by over $70 million, state and SEIU officials said."

 

This was apparently all fine with Tom Cross.

 

SEIU Local 880 was granted a new contract in April last year that included state-covered healthcare coverage and higher wages. Total incremental cost to the state: $64,200,000.

 

Tom Cross helped pass that bill.

 

How grateful has ACORN-founded SEIU Local 880 been? Well the union awarded Tom Cross its Quality Care Champion Award in 2007. Cross lists the award on the front page of his website.

 

ACORN and its self-described sister organization SEIU Local 880 are strengthening both their numbers and their political power in Illinois. The focus remains on moving their liberal agenda forward.

 

In the wake of the latest explosive national scandal involving ACORN, some Republicans have shown real leadership in pushing to cut-off taxpayer funding to the radical organization.

 

That's all well and good of course, but isn't it just as crucial that Republican politicians like Tom Cross stop TAKING loads of money from an ACORN-affiliated outfit?

 

We're reminded again of the sound advice Fox News' Glenn Beck issued just a few days ago: "The GOP, you need to clean up the GOP. Stop telling me about the Democrats. Clean up the GOP. Democrats, clean up the Democratic Party."

 

Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party. He is Co-Founder of Republican Young Professionals (RYP).