241:$ 948,607.50 from the group and affiliated charitable organizations in 1999 and 2000. Wade learned of the problem when an employee of Citizens Consulting, the accounting firm for ACORN, told him an investigation uncovered inappropriate charges that led to his brother. "Clearly, this was an uncomfortable, conflicting and humiliating situation as far as my family and I were concerned," Wade said, "and so the real decisions on how to handle it had to be made by others." ACORN executives decided to handle it as an internal matter, and did not inform some of the board members, staff or law enforcement. They signed an enforceable restitution agreement with the Rathke family to repay the amount of the embezzlement. After the Rathke family had repaid $ 210,000, in $ 30,000 installments, a friend of Wade Rathke,
253:, Wade Rathke "said the decision to keep the matter secret was not made to protect his brother but because word of the embezzlement would have put a 'weapon' into the hands of enemies of Acorn, a liberal group that is a frequent target of conservatives who object to ACORN's often strident advocacy on behalf of low- and moderate-income families and workers." A whistleblower revealed the embezzlement in 2008. On June 2, 2008, Dale Rathke was dismissed, and Wade resigned that same day as ACORN's chief organizer. He continues as chief organizer for ACORN International, Inc.
308:. Rathke was the president and co-founder of the SEIU Southern Conference; a member of the International Executive Board of SEIU (1996–2004); and Chief Organizer of the Hotel and Restaurant Organizing Committee (HOTROC) a multi-union organizing project for hospitality workers in New Orleans sponsored by the AFL-CIO and its president,
324:
In 2000, Rathke created the
Organizers' Forum, which brings together senior organizers in labor and community organizations in dialogues about challenges faced by constituency-based organizations, such as tactical development, organizing new immigrants, using technology, using capital strategies and
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Rathke and Local 100 were most prominently in the news in the fall of 2017 when they filed charges with the NLRB to prevent Dallas
Cowboys’ owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, from threatening his players if they refused to stand for the national anthem. The union withdrew its charge after the
213:, among many notable community and labor organizers over the years. They developed a replicable model of "forming membership organizations and developing leaders in low-income neighborhoods -- relying substantially on young middle-class staff working for subsistence wages."
312:, and from 2004–2008 chief organizer of a multi-pronged effort to organize Walmart workers, including the Walmart workers in Florida and California. In 2009, Local 100 left SEIU and once again became United Labor Unions Local 100.
224:, with almost 500,000 dues-paying families spread across about one-hundred staffed offices in American cities. The Institute for Social Justice has been developed to serve as ACORN's training arm.
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initiative in
Arkansas eventually developed as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the largest organization of lower income and working families in the
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to found a new organization designed to unite poor and working-class families around a common agenda. As founder and chief organizer of ACORN, Rathke first hired
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a quarterly magazine for scholars and activists. The magazine's publishing arm has published four of his books. He is also a radio station manager of KABF (
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employees, the union became part of SEIU in 1984. SEIU Local 100 organizes public sector public workers, including school employees,
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Seeds of Change : the Story of ACORN, America's Most
Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group
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corporate campaign techniques, or understanding the effects and organizing challenges of globalization.
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reported on July 9, 2008, that Dale Rathke, the brother of ACORN's founder Wade Rathke, was found to have
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Since 2013, Rathke has returned to the 100,000-watt radio station KABF-FM 88.3 as its station manager.
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180:(SDS) and later organized welfare recipients in Springfield and Boston, Massachusetts for the
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The Battle for the Ninth Ward: ACORN, Rebuilding New
Orleans, and the Lessons of Disaster
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from its founding in 1970 until June 2, 2008, and continues to be chief organizer of
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102:(SEIU) Local 100 in 1980 (now United Labor Unions Local 100). He was ACORN's chief
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was released. It was directed by Nick Taylor and distributed by
Grasshopper Film.
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638:"Head of Foundation Bailed Out Nonprofit Group After Its Funds Were Embezzled"
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and United Labor Unions Local 100. He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of
424:"Less than half of La.'s hospitals report procedure prices, new report shows"
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includes three terms as
Secretary-Treasurer of the Greater New Orleans
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thereby repaying the remaining debt for Dale Rathke. According to the
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35:
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176:, from 1966 to 1971. While there, Wade organized draft resistance for
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617:. David Wall, Sonoma State University. Summer 1994. pp. 52–55
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611:"Power to the People: Thirty-five Years of Community Organizing"
539:"ACORN goes on the defensive as it battles a string of scandals"
856:
94:(born 1948) is a community and labor activist who founded the
831:
355:
Citizen Wealth: Winning the
Campaign to Save Working Families
277:. Founded in 1980 in New Orleans as an independent union of
83:
368:
Global
Grassroots: Perspectives on International Organizing
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Leonnig, Carol D.; Mostrous, Alexi (September 20, 2009).
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153:, where they attended local schools and graduated from
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289:, as well as lower-wage private sector workers in the
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Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now
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Nuts and Bolts: The ACORN Fundamentals of Organizing
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NFL said it would not discipline players and Jones.
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60:
52:
42:
28:
21:
730:
341:In 2017, the documentary film about Rathke titled
197:Rathke began his career as an organizer for the
261:Rathke is also founder and Chief Organizer of
444:"Funds Misappropriated at 2 Nonprofit Groups"
8:
265:(SEIU) Local 100, which is headquartered in
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512:
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205:. After working with the NWRO, he left for
526:. January 10, 2015 – via Legacy.com.
18:
663:"For ACORN, Video Is Only Latest Crisis"
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569:"Wade Rathke, Chief Organizer at ACORN"
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56:Chief Organizer for ACORN International
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263:Service Employees International Union
100:Service Employees International Union
7:
636:Strom, Stephanie (August 16, 2008).
199:National Welfare Rights Organization
182:National Welfare Rights Organization
14:
687:"History | Organizers Forum"
442:Strom, Stephanie (July 9, 2008).
178:Students for a Democratic Society
297:, and other service industries.
869:by Drummond Pike, June 25, 2008
594:American City Business Journals
590:"Wade Rathke Executive Profile"
402:. Vanderbilt University Press.
888:Trade unionists from Louisiana
737:. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
1:
760:The Battle for the Ninth Ward
155:Benjamin Franklin High School
913:People from Laramie, Wyoming
883:American community activists
867:Saul ... Time to Step Aside
537:Nolan, Bruce (2009-09-20).
929:
908:Activists from New Orleans
783:Rathke, Wade, ed. (2011).
203:Springfield, Massachusetts
524:TheNewOrleansAdvocate.com
269:and also has chapters in
862:WSJ Article about Rathke
129:Early life and education
893:Williams College alumni
787:. Social Policy Press.
762:. Social Policy Press.
16:American labor activist
857:Social Policy Magazine
520:"Dale Rathke Obituary"
811:. Social Policy Press
758:Rathke, Wade (2011).
729:Rathke, Wade (2009).
300:Rathke's work in the
207:Little Rock, Arkansas
832:Chief Organizer Blog
396:Atlas, John (2010).
218:community organizing
166:liberal arts college
98:(ACORN) in 1970 and
837:ACORN International
667:The Washington Post
549:on January 30, 2010
472:United Labor Unions
287:health care workers
133:Rathke was born in
108:ACORN International
92:Stephen Wade Rathke
642:The New York Times
543:The Times-Picayune
448:The New York Times
234:The New York Times
794:978-0-615-50588-6
785:Global Grassroots
769:978-0-615-52501-3
744:978-1-57675-862-5
409:978-0-8265-1705-0
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852:SEIU Local 100
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826:External links
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809:"Our Products"
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733:Citizen Wealth
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718:. 16 May 2023.
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489:"Contact KABF"
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813:. Retrieved
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695:. Retrieved
691:the original
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619:. Retrieved
615:The Workbook
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573:. Retrieved
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551:. Retrieved
547:the original
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497:. Retrieved
492:
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468:"Governance"
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451:. Retrieved
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349:Publications
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310:John Sweeney
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211:Gary Delgado
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170:Williamstown
164:, a private
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121:) and WAMF (
111:
91:
90:
898:1948 births
621:25 February
337:Documentary
291:hospitality
267:New Orleans
147:New Orleans
123:New Orleans
119:Little Rock
75:Beth Butler
64:Founder of
23:Wade Rathke
877:Categories
815:2012-05-14
697:2011-05-31
672:2011-03-22
647:2011-03-23
575:2008-10-09
571:. LinkedIn
553:2009-09-20
453:2011-03-23
381:References
295:janitorial
283:Head Start
201:(NWRO) in
53:Occupation
239:embezzled
228:Departure
151:Louisiana
104:organizer
43:Education
493:KABF.org
275:Arkansas
193:Founding
184:(NWRO).
143:Colorado
499:May 22,
366:Edited
306:AFL-CIO
139:Wyoming
135:Laramie
80:Website
72:Partner
36:Wyoming
791:
766:
741:
406:
376:(2018)
370:(2011)
363:(2011)
357:(2009)
285:, and
842:ACORN
329:Radio
279:Hyatt
271:Texas
251:Times
216:This
188:ACORN
66:ACORN
789:ISBN
764:ISBN
739:ISBN
623:2015
501:2018
404:ISBN
273:and
145:and
32:1948
29:Born
168:in
125:).
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