Originally posted at www.workerfreedom.org

By documents obtained by AWF staff, we have learned that Kansas is using state resources and taxpayer dollars to collect healthcare providers names, addresses and phone numbers for the SEIU. Outraged, the AWF sent the following letter to the Gov, the two Senators from the state and former Gov Sebelius demanding transparency of this effort and called on the Gov. to condemn this practice.

To date, AWF has not received a response. Click here to see the original letters sent by Kansas Departments' to healthcare workers, as enclosures to the original letter below.

14 September 2009

Governor Mark Parkinson
Capitol, 300 SW 10th Ave., Ste. 212S
Topeka, KS 66612-1590

Dear Governor Parkinson:

On behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) and millions of rank-and-file American workers nationwide, I am urging you to condemn the use of taxpayer dollars by several Kansas State Departments to collect names, addresses, and telephone numbers of healthcare workers for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

As you can see, per the attached letters, the Kansas Department on Aging, led by Martin Kennedy, and the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, under Secretary Don Jordan, are using Kansas State resources and taxpayer dollars to gather personal information for one of the most powerful unions, the SEIU.

The fact that you are allowing your Departments’ to use taxpayer resources to help a union gather personal information on workers not only provides serious suspect as to your character, but questions your true dedication as a public servant.

Make no mistake, Kansas state resources are currently being used to help the SEIU obtain names and addresses of healthcare workers for the purposes of unionization. The SEIU is notorious for provoking, sometimes with violence, other healthcare provider unions for the purposes of increasing their own ranks. Now, with Denis Rivera tapped to lead the SEIU’s healthcare reform charge on Capitol Hill, it is suspect as to why many of now Secretary Sebelius’ former employees are pushing state dollars to help this union.

One excerpt from the attached letter states by gathering this information it will “provide an opportunity for these individuals to receive information regarding services offered by this organization [the SEIU].” This is blatantly stated as the state of Kansas helping the SEIU gather information on workers for the direct purpose of unionizing them.

The information the SEIU is asking for either exists in current public record format or not. At the least, these actions are irresponsible and morally questionable.

I request that all receipts and financial transactions regarding the “collection” of this information, per request of the SEIU, be made publically available online in a searchable format. I also request that all emails and correspondence using state owned resources between Kansas state employees and anyone working for the SEIU be made available. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
 
Brian M. Johnson, MPA
Executive Director

cc:     Martin Kennedy, Acting Secretary of Department on Aging
    Don Jordan, Secretary of Dept. of Social and Rehabilitation Services
    Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services
    U.S. House & Senate Members from Kansas
    Andy Stern, President of SEIU

Enclosures

In a press release issued today, AWF executive director Brian Johnson had this to say:

This type of information gathering using state resources on behalf of a union is unprecedented, says AWF Executive Director Brian Johnson. “Let’s look at all the pieces,” inquires Johnson. “Former Kansas Governor Sebelius is now in DC working with SEIU’s healthcare muscle Dennis Rivera. Now, Kansas is doing all the SEIU’s dirty work by using state funds to collect healthcare workers’ contact information so the SEIU can hustle them.” Johnson adds, “Taxpayers of Kansas should be outraged that their government officials are using their dollars to print and mail materials for the sole purpose of helping the SEIU organize healthcare workers into a union!”

Click here to view a PDF version of this release.

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