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As SEA Union Prepares For Convention, Lawsuit Threatens Solidarity

The State Employees Association has filed a suit against one of its own. The union, which represents approximately 10,000 public sector employees, is calling for past-president Diana Lacey to stop posting information that it considers confidential.

Lacey’s social media posts, which she says were made in a private Facebook group, focus on a long-running dispute between the union and the State Liquor Commission over the agency’s handling of alleged bootlegging.

[You can find NHPR's previous coverage of this topic here.]

“The SEA did not wish to pursue legal action against one of its members and leaders. However, the SEA asked Ms. Lacey to cease and desist on at least two occasions regarding her leak of confidential materials, and she chose not to comply,” says general counsel Gary Snyder.

Lacey denies that she’s revealed anything confidential, and says the content was already in the public domain.

The lawsuit could create an awkward scene at the union’s annual convention, scheduled to take place on Saturday in Plymouth.

Lacey says she plans to bring forward motions that relate to how current union President Rich Gulla--who beat Lacey by just four votes in 2014--has handled the liquor commission dispute.

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
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