By Victor Skinner
EAGnews.org

LAS VEGAS – The hypocrisy of some union officials is almost unbelievable.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, union organizer Maria Elena Hermanson filed a complaint against officials with the Clark County Education Association for allegedly giving her the boot because she wanted to join the union’s staff union, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

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The Clark County Staff Organization – which represents employees of the teachers union – and Hermanson filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board against CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita, whom they claim terminated Hermanson’s employment Feb. 20, days after she discussed joining the CCSO, the news paper reports.

“My job is to recruit teachers to join the union, but you won’t allow me to join a union,” Hermanson said of her termination.

Vallardita told the newspaper he ended Hermanson’s employment after her six-month probationary period “because of her performance.” Vallardita said the CCEA is voluntarily allowing the CCSO to unionize its staff, so that isn’t a factor.

But officials with the CCSO contend Vallardita only agreed to allow organizing efforts as a way to justify firing Hermanson.  A hearing on Hermanson’s complaint is scheduled for Aug. 13, the Review-Journal reports.

“He’s not stupid,” CCSO President Michael Soden said of Vallardita. “Once there was no way out of it, he agreed.”

Hermanson told the Review-Journal her termination “was definitely not because of my performance.”

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Hermanson is seeking reinstatement and back pay. She ultimately wants all of her colleagues at the CCEA protected by the CCSO.

“I have to speak up or nothing is going to change,” she said, according to the newspaper.

This is the first time Vallardita has been the target of a federal complaint.

In 2010, after serving as the head of United Healthcare Workers-West, an SEIU union, Vallardita was ordered to pay $77,850 in damages “for conspiracy to make their Oakland, Calif., union ungovernable, destruction of files and property, violating union bylaws and breaking fiduciary responsibilities,” the Review-Journal reports.

“According to court testimony and documents, Vellardita and other leaders of the California local were dismantling it because word had trickled down that the SEIU was going to take it into trusteeship and likely replace its leaders, in part because of financial improprieties,” the newspaper reports.

Clearly, Vallardita has a history of hiding the facts and manipulating union operations to suit himself. We have no doubt that’s exactly what’s going on now, and we suspect the NLRB will come to the same conclusion.