Hiram Ruiz: The People's Politico

April 28, 2008, The Sun Post

Depending on perspective, Hiram Ruiz is either a sinner or a saint. He’s the savior of the poor and downtrodden worker, and a thorn in the side of any employer that ends up in his crosshairs.
As deputy director of the Service Workers International Union Local 11, Ruiz acts as a political operative, working deals with commissioners and mayors to win support for the SEIU’s organization of condo and other service workers.

Just in the last two years, Ruiz has helped unionize University of Miami janitors and St. Thomas University workers, and is involved in a heated battle to organize the 700 or so workers employed on Fisher Island.

Last year, Ruiz, a frequent lobbyist around Miami Beach City Hall, helped elect a commission sympathetic to his cause. For instance, the union gave Matti Herrera Bower $10,500 toward her mayoral victory — $500 as a direct contribution and another $10,000 funneled through a mysterious electioneering communication organization.

In the ongoing battle to unionize Fisher Island workers, Ruiz is seen as a formidable opponent by the island’s management, who is rumored to have spent upwards of $800,000 in its fight against the SEIU.

Still, he’s not perfect. Ruiz and crew didn’t do a thorough background check on one of the Fisher Island security guards the union used as a poster man for its cause. The guard, Willie Floyd, was arrested in March after failing to show up to a court hearing for illegally collecting more than $3,000 in unemployment checks when he had a job. Oooops!