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Person

Larry Alcoff

Occupation:

Lead Union Negotiator, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

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Larry Alcoff is a labor union official who works as a lead negotiator for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). A close ally of SEIU president Mary Kay Henry, Alcoff has led negotiations for a variety of SEIU units, including SEIU Healthcare Illinois, and was appointed as an emergency trustee of SEIU Healthcare Michigan in 2022 after it was determined that an “emergency situation” existed within the local union’s leadership.

In 2023, Alcoff drew attention for participating in a pro-Palestinian protest after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel that shut down the Brooklyn Bridge and “accused Israel of committing ‘genocide’ and protested the Jewish state with his ‘radical wife and violent communist son’ according to the Washington Free Beacon. 1 2

Career

Larry Alcoff works as a negotiator for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of America’s largest, most controversial, and most politically involved labor unions. The SEIU represents building services employees, nurses, other healthcare workers, and public employees and is noted for its close ties to the broader left-of-center movement, perhaps most notably the controversial now-defunct community organizing network ACORN and its successor groups. The SEIU has close ties to Democratic politics and is led by Mary Kay Henry, of whom Alcoff is a close ally. Henry has been noted for her top-down leadership style and for continuing management practices pioneered by her predecessor, Andy Stern, who was known to oust local union leaders in favor of appointing his own allies. 3 4

Alcoff was described as a 20-year veteran of the SEIU in 2024, and in 2022, was appointed by Henry to serve as an emergency deputy trustee of a local SEIU union, SEIU Healthcare Michigan, after Henry alleged that the local has engaged in financial malpractice and lacked internal financial controls. 5 6

Alcoff has been involved in many labor strikes concerning SEIU local unions and has served as a lead negotiator for government worker strikes in Chicago, Illinois as well as university and hospital employee strikes throughout the United States. 7 8 9

Anti-Israel Views

Following the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, Larry Alcoff participated in a pro-Palestinian protest that shut down the Brooklyn Bridge alongside his wife, philosophy professor Linda Martin Alcoff, and son, Jose Alcoff, who has been accused of involvement with the radical Antifa movement. The Washington Free Beacon reported that during the march, Linda Alcoff wore a sticker reading, “Zionist donors and trustees, hands off our universities.” Larry Alcoff accused Israel of committing “genocide” and was an outspoken opponent of Israel on social media. 10

Larry Alcoff has urged social media followers to donate to U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) to “help her efforts to put a stop to Israel’s campaign of ‘ethnic cleansing and genocide.’” He also attacked U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for supporting Israel. 11

References

  1. Kerr, Andrew. “SEIU Leader Participated in Palestinian Protest That Shut Down Brooklyn Bridge.” Washington Free Beacon. January 9, 2024. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/seiu-leader-participated-in-palestinian-protest-that-shut-down-brooklyn-bridge/
  2. “Order of Emergency Trusteeship.” SEIU. April 27, 2022.  https://www.seiuhealthcaremi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/HCMI-Order-of-Trusteeship.pdf
  3. Leonning, Carol D. “Some Criticize SEIU for Its ACORN Connections.” The Washington Post. October 06, 2009. Accessed February 12, 2024. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100503585.html
  4. Greenhouse, Steve. “New Union Leader Wants Group to Be More of a Political Powerhouse.” The New York Times. May 8, 2010. Archived May 12, 2010. Accessed October 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20100512185208/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/us/politics/09union.html
  5. Kerr, Andrew. “SEIU Leader Participated in Palestinian Protest That Shut Down Brooklyn Bridge.” Washington Free Beacon. January 9, 2024. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/seiu-leader-participated-in-palestinian-protest-that-shut-down-brooklyn-bridge/
  6. “Order of Emergency Trusteeship.” SEIU. April 27, 2022.  https://www.seiuhealthcaremi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/HCMI-Order-of-Trusteeship.pdf
  7. “Local 73 President Dian Palmer and Lead Negotiator Larry Alcoff Featured on Ben Joravsky show.” Local 73 SEIU. July 21, 2021. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://seiu73.org/2021/07/local-73-president-dian-palmer-and-lead-negotiator-larry-alcoff-featured-on-ben-joravsky-show/
  8. Lumpkin, Lauren. “Howard faculty union, ahead of threatened strike, reports progress in labor talks.” Washington Post. March 21, 2022. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/21/howard-union-faculty-strike-negotiations/
  9. Sanchez, Mark. “Results delayed in vote over whether to keep union at West Michigan hospital.” Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/health-care/results-delayed-in-vote-over-whether-to-keep-union-at-west-michigan-hospital/
  10. Kerr, Andrew. “SEIU Leader Participated in Palestinian Protest That Shut Down Brooklyn Bridge.” Washington Free Beacon. January 9, 2024. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/seiu-leader-participated-in-palestinian-protest-that-shut-down-brooklyn-bridge/
  11. Kerr, Andrew. “SEIU Leader Participated in Palestinian Protest That Shut Down Brooklyn Bridge.” Washington Free Beacon. January 9, 2024. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/seiu-leader-participated-in-palestinian-protest-that-shut-down-brooklyn-bridge/
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