MUNICH, Germany – A new report released by the 1.9 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) during the buyout industry’s conference in Munich—where until a last minute change participants were set to party to a 1920s/Titanic theme—raises serious questions about the long-term effects of the buyout industry on our nation’s economic health, the environment, the safety of the products we use every day, and employees’ basic civil rights. “We are at a crossroads,” said Stephen Lerner, Director of SEIU’s Private Equity Project, “The economy is sinking faster than the Titanic. The buyout industry can meet just to discuss how to make even more money, or they can do something incredible, and figure out to change their model so that they turn a profit while raising standards for workers, and instituting green policies that protect the environment and consumers from harm.”