Ethics probe: Union fake grassroots lobbying

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

An investigation has been launched on Service Employees International Union 503 Executive Director Melissa Unger.

Eight Oregon House lawmakers submitted an Ethics complaint against her saying that she presented misleading testimony against a bill using citizen opposition that was not true.  Some people who opposed the bill found that their name was used on a personal appeal postcard in support of the bill, using their name.

Here is a sample of the Ethics complaint:

“Specifically, SEIU Local 503 and its representatives violated ORS 171.764 when, on or around April 28, 2025, they provided “constituent postcards” to legislative officials that misrepresented individuals’ support for House Bill (HB) 3838 and contained explicit statements of personal support for the bill that, in at least some cases, SEIU Local 503 and its representatives knew to be false.”

The complaint goes on to say:

“On April 28, 2025, the legislature’s House Committee on Rules held a public hearing on HB 3838. That same day, representatives of SEIU Local 503 visited legislators’ offices to drop off boxes containing approximately 1,000 “constituent postcards” expressing support for the bill.The front of each postcard stated, “I Support House Bill 3838. VOTE YES! Protect Oregon’s Seniors, People with Disabilities, & Long-Term Care Workers.”8 (Emphasis in original). The back of each postcard was addressed to the senator or representative to whom it was delivered, listed the name and city of the individual constituent it was supposedly “from,” and contained the following message attributed to that individual:

“Please vote yes on House Bill 3838 to protect seniors, people with disabilities, and long-term care workers. It’s time for Oregon legislators to address the crisis in our long-termhome and community-based care system. You have my COMPLETE support and I urge you to do the right thing! Thanks!”

The content of each postcard was entirely pre-printed. Aside from the state legislator to whom it was addressed and the name and city of the individual it was “from,” each of the postcards was identical. Upon information and belief, SEIU Local 503’s representatives delivered identical boxes of approximately 1,000 postcards to every Oregon state legislator. In subsequent conversations with SEIU Local 503-represented care providers who were opposed to HB 3838, the state representatives bringing this complaint were asked to help find whether their names, or the names of any other care providers known to be opposed to the bill, were printed on any of the postcards.

On June 12, 2025, Rep. Ed Diehl received a voicemail from Nicki Douglas, an adult foster care home provider from Bend who had learned that her name and city were printed on one of the postcards.Ms. Douglas explained that she did not support HB 3838 and stated adamantly that she had never signed anything or otherwise provided her name to SEIU Local 503 for the purpose of supporting the bill. Despite the fact that Ms. Douglas strongly opposed HB 3838 and never agreed to support the bill, SEIU Local 503 and its representatives provided legislators with a postcard explicitly stating that she supported HB 3838. On or around June 13, 2025, Rep. Diehl discovered that another postcard identified Shannon Carskadon, an adult foster home owner and provider from Forest Grove who had publicly opposed HB 3838 in written testimony submitted to the House Committee on Rules.

In an email to Rep. Diehl, Ms. Carskadon expressed her “shock, disgust and disappointment” over learning that “[her] name appears on a postcard mailer stating [that she] support[s] SEIU’s HB 3838.”15 She further explained how she had, in fact, vocalized her opposition to HB 3838 directly to SEIU Local 503’s executive director long before SEIU Local 503 delivered the postcards to legislators: “I was present at the capital, at the very first hearing where I met [SEIU Local 503 executive director] Melissa Unger with [another care provider]. Melissa was very surprised to see [the other care provider] there and in a face-to-face conversation with her, I expressed my concerns and opposition to the bill, again directly to her personally.” Ms. Carskadon went on to point out that SEIU Local 503’s postcard falsely stating that she supported HB 3838 likely “stems from a very misleading Facebook post on April 3, 2025.”

It also states;

“In fact, none of the individuals who filled out the form on SEIU Local 503’s Facebook post truly consented to making the statements contained in its “constituent postcards,” because neither the post nor the form provided by SEIU Local 503 contained any mention of HB 3838, any other piece of legislation, or disclosed the statement that would be attributed to them. At most, Ms. Carskadon and others expressed support for the general idea of a workforce standards board—yet legislators were provided with postcards stating that these individuals “Support House Bill 3838” and were asking legislators to “Vote yes on House Bill 3838.”31 In short, there is no question that SEIU Local 503’s postcards misrepresented and attributed false statements of support for HB 3838 to Ms. Douglas, Ms. Carskadon, and perhaps many or all of the other individuals who were named on the cards.”