SEIU president resigns in Vegas, cites ‘toxic environment’

Two top staff members — including the president — at Clark County's largest union resigned effective Friday.

Martin Bassick, who was elected president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1107 in July 2013, on Friday sent a letter to all SEIU members informing them of his sudden resignation. Kathy Collins, who was recently hired as general counsel for the SEIU, also resigned effective Friday after only months on the job.

The resignations come on the heels of recent legislative changes that included Bassick being order back to his Clark County public works job in June, several staff terminations in recent months and a high turnover in leadership positions since Bassick took the helm.

"My reason for resigning is due to an unhealthy and often toxic work environment," Bassick wrote in his letter. "Our members are facing real issues... yet our organization often focuses on personal agendas instead of what is important to our members."

The issues Bassick referred to include Senate Bill 241, which is a new state collective bargaining law that took effect June 1, staffing issues in hospitals and ongoing contract battles.

The union represents about 17,000 employees statewide. That includes health care and public service employees. In Clark County alone, it represents about 5,500 employees.

"Hopefully, this will create an opportunity for SEIU and the County to work together to address issues that are important to our employees," said Clark County Manager Don Burnette.

All of the original director-level senior staff resigned under Bassick's tenure and at least five union staff members were terminated in the last four months, according to a former union employee.

Bassick, who had about eight months left to finish his term on June 30, 2016, said hiring, firings and resignations are part of the natural process for any organization.

SEIU Executive Vice President Cherie Mancini will take over effective Friday and will complete Bassick's term.

"I believe we have a lot of very good people in the union that are looking to move forward and get ourselves together," she said on Friday. "I'm ready to work hard and get our union where it needs to be."

Bassick said that there are some internal structural and cultural issues that need to be worked out with the union, but declined to be more specific. He later said that the union has very passionate people, but when there's heated debates, people need to talk issues through and not yell at each other and point fingers.

In his letter, Bassick said he's spent the last two years trying to turn the organization around to no avail. Deficiencies within the local union's constitution and bylaws have also resulted in an inability to self govern, he said.

"Somehow the SEIU Local 1107 has lost sight of working for our members' common good and let internal politics take center stage," he wrote. "Playing politics with our Union is not OK. The only one who benefits when our Board and Leadership are fighting, is the employer."

Collins cited similar problems in her resignation letter.

"Unfortunately, in the short time that I have been here, I have had to devote the majority of my time and attention to fighting against factions within our own board and our own staff and former staff, rather than fighting for the very people we should be trying to help," she wrote. "I hope something happens in the future to right the ship at SEIU Local 1107 that appears to have been sinking over the past many years."

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3843. Find her on Twitter: @YeseniaAmaro