Stephanie,
I just wanted to say nice article regarding 'One man vs the Union'. I can only hope that many read it. And all this time I thought I was just the one man.

Sincerely,
 
Wayne Neault
Wayne Neault Construction
Marysville, Ca.



Dear Editor:
 
In the Sept. 9, 2013, issue of The New York Times, an article by Ian Johnson, “Picking Death over Eviction in China,” describes some of the heavy-handed techniques the Chinese government uses to move farmers away from their farms and into urban areas. Typically, the farms are confiscated for high-rise development. While the government usually gives some compensation, it is often very small, drawing the rage of farmers who do not want to move in the first place. In some cases, the farmers have been so incensed by the government’s actions and the loss of their farms that they have protested by killing themselves.

When I read the article in your September 2013 issue, “One Man Vs. The Union,” by Stephanie S. Beecher, it made me think that some of the actions taken by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are even more horrific than what the Chinese government has been doing to its farmers. I had no idea the SEIU was using such dire tactics or that something like that was happening in our industry.

As the former owner of three contract cleaning companies, I do not believe I could have held up under such an onslaught from the SEIU as EMS Group President Dave Bego suffered. I commend him for standing up to these tactics and commend your publication for printing the story. That took courage.

Robert Kravitz
AlturaSolutions Communications
Chicago




POSTED ON: 9/13/2013