To Hell With “Innovation Specialists”
SEIU is looking for a new Silicon Valley-style innovation guru. But TED Talk wisdom is the last thing labor needs.

This one simple trick won’t actually help.
“Put your faith in the rank and file” was the advice that famed longshore union organizer Harry Bridges used to give. But instead of turning to union members for the bold ideas we need, some labor leaders are taking cues from the corporate world.
Take the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which recently posted a job for an “Innovation Specialist.”
What would such a specialist do? It’s impossible to tell from the posting, a garble of buzzwords that reads like a Silicon Valley venture capitalist’s TED talk. For instance: “The Innovation Specialist will train and guide teams in the use of innovation methods, tools, and practices to enable staff in SEIU’s locals and in its International Union to innovate systematically with method and rigor.”