WASHINTON — Congressman Tim Walberg has opened an investigation into SEIU hiring practices following reports that the union hired a registered sex offender as a business agent.
Walberg, chair of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, sent a letter to SEIU leadership after learning that SEIU Local 87 hired Noelia Linares in 2022. Linares pleaded no contest to sex crimes involving a minor in 2018 after her 2017 arrest at South San Francisco High School, where she worked as a teaching assistant.
Linares is listed on California’s sex offender registry, and her prior convictions had been publicly reported before her hiring. Walberg’s letter questions how this occurred and whether additional federal labor law reforms are needed to prevent registered sex offenders from holding union positions. The committee requested that the SEIU provide hiring data and policies by July 9.
The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act currently bars individuals convicted of specific violent crimes from holding union office.
Walberg said the committee is reviewing whether the law should be expanded to include registered sex offenders. SEIU’s response is pending.