Service Employees International Union Executive Vice President Scott Courtney, described as an “architect” of the “Fight for 15” minimum wage campaign, was suspended this week as the organization investigates allegations about his conduct towards women on staff.
Seven sources, including current and former SEIU employees, told BuzzFeed News that Courtney “had a history of sexual relationships with young women staffers — who were subsequently promoted.” Those sources spoke anonymously “for fear of retaliation within the labor movement.” Two also claimed “no significant action” was taken after charges of abuse and sexual harassment by supervisors were reported.
On the heels of Courtney’s suspension, an ex-SEIU staffer anonymously came forward to allege she was sexually harassed by two supervisors while she worked at the union. In an interview with the Washington Free Beacon, the former employee claimed sexual harassment was pervasive at the SEIU, which described as having a “broad environment of misogyny.”
Echoing the charges of BuzzFeed’s sources, this ex-employee also said little changed after the harassment was reported to human resources. “Most HR processes for investigating sexual harassment [represent] a culture of protecting the organization,” she asserted.
Courtney is currently on his honeymoon, according to Bloomberg, after having married an SEIU staffer just this past weekend.
“Beyond his relationship with his new wife,” Bloomberg reported, “multiple current and former SEIU employees who spoke to Bloomberg said that Courtney had a pattern of dating subordinates. His conduct, these people say, has been a source of tension and concern within the union and has spurred an internal ethics complaint that preceded this week’s suspension. Some co-workers said that they believed people working for Courtney had been rewarded or reassigned based on romantic relationships with him.”
Here’s another key excerpt from that report:
Some women who had left SEIU said they felt Courtney’s alleged relationships with subordinates would cast into doubt any recognition or advancement bestowed on women working below him in the union, since co-workers might assume the promotion came from a sexual relationship with him. One woman recounted a time when she felt pressured by him into agreeing to have dinner together and had to scramble to find a way to back out. “The climate he created was hostile to women, and ultimately it didn’t stop with him,” said the woman, who now works elsewhere in the labor movement.
The SEIU is a political powerhouse. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, all of the union’s $1.4 million in campaign donations to congressional candidates throughout 2016 went to Democrats.
“We are taking this investigation very seriously … As credible allegations come in, we are pursuing them as part of this investigation,” an SEIU spokesperson told BuzzFeed.
Like Hollywood, beset by scandal in the wake of Harvey Weinstein’s downfall, the SEIU is a powerful liberal institution now facing tough questions about whether its internal culture is consistent with its external claims to support working women.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
