SEIU vs Boy Scouts

Posted by Larry Miller on November 18, 2009 under Why | Read the First Comment

“There’s to be no volunteers!” declared Nick Balzano, president of the Service Employees International Union’s Allentown, PA chapter. The cause of his consternation was a 17 year old Boy Scout from nearby Center Valley who, along with friends and fellow scouts, cleared a 1000 walking path in Allentown’s Kimmets Lock Park.

The scout, Kevin Anderson, a junior at my son’s alma mater, Southern Lehigh High School, was working toward Eagle Scout and was looking to do something to improve the community. The SEIU local, still smarting from recent member layoffs, was looking out for the welfare of its members. The service in the union’s name certainly was not for the benefit of the citizens of Allentown.

Balzno told the city council that he was looking into filing a grievance against the city for allowing volunteers to do work that should have been done by union personnel. Then, showing a little of Tony Soprano persona added, “We’ll be looking into the Cub Scout or Boy Scout who did the trails.” Showing surprising awareness of the damaged public relations, SEIU spokesman Matt Nerzig jumped into the act, telling reporters Balzano’s response was “unauthorized and insensitive“. So young Mr. Anderson may be blessed to continue walking about on unbroken kneecaps.

This whole incident shows the growing danger of greater SEIU involvement and influence at various levels of our government. Union membership in the private sector has been declining for many years. It has been increasing in the public sector, and with all the spending and explosion of Obamanomic bureaucracies, the trend 1s guaranteed to continue at an ever increasing rate. This park incident is just a brief preview of things to come.

Unions, like the SEIU, are in place to maintain their power and look after the welfare of their members. The public is only there to pay the bills. It’s the spirit of American Federation of Teachers union president Al Shanker, when he said, “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren.” I guess the only way we will get these unions to look out for the public is for the public to pay them dues… and that seems to be on the agenda in Washington.

Those who have been paying attention know the danger to the country posed by SEIU and it’s fellow traveling organization, ACORN. Most of those reading this article are already aware of this… and it is our job to spread the word. Do we want to live in freedom, or will we roll over to the thugs who will find themselves in positions of power if we fail?