SEIU-UHW Member-Leaders Meet to Set Strategies for 2010 and Beyond at Union-Wide Organizing Committee Meeting

More than 350 member-leaders from across our union gathered in Los Angeles on Feb. 26 and 27 at the Union Wide Organizing Committee meeting to lay-out strategies to help us win in 2010 and beyond for members and the patients, clients, and residents we serve.

"It's exciting to be here with so many members from across SEIU-UHW," said Annie Reyes from Sutter Alta Bates Medical Center. "Together, members are making the decisions that will determine the future of our union."

Member-Leaders debated and adopted resolutions to fight for a fair state budget, create a more worker-friendly state legislature, unite strength across the four SEIU-UHW divisions, win a strong contract at Kaiser, and protect home care jobs and services. The five resolutions are:

• Strategies to Fight for our Future
• Building a Powerful Workers' Organization
• Quality Home Care for Clients and Quality Jobs for Home Care Providers
• Supporting SEIU-UHW Members at Kaiser Permanente in Their Campaign to Win a New Contract
• Eliminating NUHW as a Threat to SEIU-UHW Members

Read the full resolutions here.

NUHW Kaiser Pros to Bargain from Scratch

Just weeks after three small groups of Kaiser healthcare professionals voted to join NUHW, they are discovering that what NUHW promised before the election wasn't true. According to minutes from an NUHW meeting, NUHW met with Kaiser management to beg Kaiser to honor the contract for the pros, deduct dues and commit to submitting disputes to a neutral arbitrator. Disillusioned Kaiser Pros are now reporting that the answer was NO.

NUHW promised southern California pros that nothing would change when they voted to join them, but here's the reality:

• Pros are not covered by the national agreement and its income security protections and will be bargaining a new contract from scratch.




• Pros are out of the Labor-Management Partnership and are being removed from positions on labor management committees that work to resolve issues and improve patient care




• Management has the final say on any dispute as the pros have lost their ability to take disagreements to a neutral arbitrator--they now have no ability to enforce any rights they previously had.

"NUHW hid their agenda from the healthcare professionals and now those workers have to go it alone in this terrible economy," said Esther Ranson from Kaiser Sunset. "I'm not going to let NUHW put my contract at risk. My coworkers and I are standing strong as SEIU-UHW."

Members at Sutter Lakeside Ratify New Contract

Through unity and action, SEIU-UHW members at Sutter Lakeside won and ratified a contract that respects our commitment to quality patient care. With an overwhelming 93% YES vote, Sutter Lakeside members joined members from Sutter Eden, Delta, Solano, Amador and Roseville in ratifying our sixth new contract in the Sutter hospital system in the past three months.

After months of demonstrating to management that they would settle for nothing less than a contract that respects their commitment to quality patient care, Sutter Lakeside members now have a contract with compounded wage increases between 9.27% and 20.2%, free family EPO and with all previous job security protections.

Healthcare Workers at Alameda County Correctional Facilities Prepare to Strike

SEIU-UHW members at Glenn Dyer Detention Facility and Santa Rita Jail, employees of Prison Health Services (PHS), have authorized an unfair labor practice strike to protest management's refusal to negotiate in good faith over conditions that will keep the correctional facilities safe and well-staffed.

PHS contracts with Alameda Country for the medical care providers at the two facilities. Despite healthy profits, PHS Management has refused to honor a commitment in its contract with Alameda County that set aside money for increased wages and health benefits. 94% of SEIU-UHW Members voted to strike, and then took their concerns to the Alameda Country Board of Supervisors.

"I voted yes for the strike because we need to send a clear message to PHS," said Angelo Casimiro, an LVN at Glenn Dyer. "We need to show just how important our healthcare benefits and wage scales are to us and how they have contributed to the experience and longevity of most of our members."

A strike by Glenn Dyer and Santa Rita Jail staff could take place as early as March 9, 2010.