A former female colleague of influential labor leader Dave Regan has publicly accused him of violently confronting her inside the workplace they once shared.
Courtni Pugh, who previously led the SEIU California State Council, alleges that in 2009 Regan kicked open the door to her office, forced her up against a wall, pressed his finger into her chest and yelled that she was a “dumbass.”
The accusations involving Regan also include claims of threats and extortion.
Regan has denied assaulting Pugh, dismissing the allegations as a politically motivated effort by billionaires, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Xavier Becerra to damage his reputation just weeks before voters weigh in on Proposition 40, the ballot measure closely associated with him.
Pugh’s allegations were first detailed Friday in a Los Angeles Times report that described alleged widespread misconduct and aggressive conduct by Regan, the president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, known as SEIU-UHW.
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“I told my colleagues and organization leaders when it occurred,” Pugh said in a statement provided to the California Post.
“I was asked to participate in the later investigation because so many people had heard about the 2009 incident over the years.”
“I chose to participate in the investigation because I saw that his behavior had continued and in hopes that no one else would have to endure this kind of treatment from him.”
Regan’s denial
Representatives for Newsom and Becerra did not immediately return requests for comment.
In comments to the Post on Friday, Regan called Pugh’s account “fabricated” and said “it is a matter of public record that she is working for the No on Proposition 40 campaign.”
Regan further argued that Pugh’s allegations were part of a broader “smear campaign” that he claimed could be traced to a holiday party hosted by Newsom last year.
Pugh pushed back sharply, saying Regan’s response was “offensive to the women and people who have had to endure his threatening behavior.”
Regan said that Pugh first shared details of the alleged 2009 encounter at the party while in the company of the governor’s inner circle, SEIU State Council staff and a person working for the billionaires.
The labor boss unloaded on California’s governor for opposing Prop. 40 while failing to offer a plan to prevent looming federal healthcare cuts.
Substantiation
Regan said Newsom’s posture — opposing a state wealth tax while supporting a national tax — was especially baffling for a Democrat preparing for a presidential campaign, claiming polling shows overwhelming support nationally for taxing billionaires.
Regan has a reputation as a bruising political operator known for pushing statewide ballot measures as political leverage — and even Newsom hinted at frustration with his tactics last year.
“We have one individual that represents one labor union in the state of California that has not collected one signature that is considering putting on the ballot, after he collects signatures, a wealth tax that the vast majority of labor opposes,” Newsom griped in December.
Investigators from labor law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon substantiated allegations against Regan during a broader probe conducted between April and July, which was initiated by the union. Regan denied
Pugh’s account, but the firm cited her interview and testimony from a colleague who spoke with her immediately after the alleged confrontation, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The investigation also partially substantiated allegations that Regan bullied, intimidated or tried to pressure other labor leaders into supporting Proposition 40. David Huerta, the former president of the SEIU California State Council, accused Regan of trying to extort the organization for an endorsement of the billionaire tax.
