In April alone, by a more than 20-to-1 margin SEIU-UHW members are choosing to stay united in their union over NUHW.  The latest victories bring to 31 the growing number of facilities in which workers are remaining in their existing union, SEIU-UHW. Since Rosselli and the others were removed from union office 15 months ago, 68,960 SEIU-UHW members have chosen to stay in SEIU-UHW – more than 96% of the members who have faced an election.
 
SEIU-UHW members at the 17 nursing homes facing union elections were unequivocal in their support for their existing union, SEIU-UHW. To avoid an overwhelming defeat NUHW withdrew its petitions with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and called off the elections just days before the elections scheduled between April 30 and May 11.
 
“As SEIU-UHW members, we negotiated an outstanding contract this year.  We’re glad to finally be rid of NUHW and their interference in the work we do caring for patients,” said Merci Igmedia, a certified nurse assistant at Generations Vista Manor in San Jose.

The 17 nursing homes where SEIU-UHW members remain in their union are:
 

• Cedars of Marin in Ross, 20 workers
  
• Yuba City Care Center in Yuba City, 50 workers
  
• Empress Care Center in San Jose, 60 workers
  
• Greenfield Care Center of Fairfield, 60 workers
  
• Shields Nursing Center – El Cerrito, 50 workers
  
• Shields Nursing Center – Richmond, 50 workers
  
• Marysville Care Center in Marysville, 90 workers
  
• Vista Manor Nursing Center in San Jose, 80 workers
  
• Kingsburg Care Center in Kingsburg, 70 workers
  
• Creekside Care Center (Heritage) in Stockton, 50 workers
  
• Washington Care and Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro, 60 workers
  
• Country Villa in San Rafael, 60 workers
  
• University Mound Ladies Home in San Francisco, 20 workers
  
• Golden Living (Beverly Manor) Convalescent Center in Fresno, 160 workers
  
• Clovis Convalescent Hospital in Clovis, 50 workers
  
• Golden Living (Beverly) Center – Hy-Pana in Stockton, 70 workers
  
• Golden Living (Beverly) Center in Galt, 70 workers
   

“SEIU-UHW voted 100% to ratify our new union contract and we were ready to vote 100% to keep our union, too. NUHW knew we were sticking with SEIU-UHW—our unity sent them packing,” said Mercedes Sanchez, a housekeeper at Eva Care - Empress Care Center in San Jose.
 
Beyond these losses, NUHW has been facing unprecedented setbacks on multiple fronts in recent weeks.  Earlier this month a Federal jury held the union and many of its officers and staff liable for $1.5M in damages for their conduct as they were removed from SEIU-UHW and formed their new union.  NUHW’s recently filed annual financial disclosure indicates that they were $1.5M in debt even before the judgment.   
 
Also this month NUHW has given up rather than face defeat at St. Francis Medical Center, part of the Daughters of Charity Health Systems, in Lynwood (920 workers), Tiller Oakridge Care Center in Oakridge (100 workers), San Marco Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Concord (90 workers), Avalon Chowchilla nursing home in Avalon (50 workers), Hayward Convalescent in Hayward (80 workers), Lifehouse in San Jose (120 workers), Central Gardens Convalescent Hospital in San Francisco (80 workers), Millbrae Serra Convalescent Hospital in Millbrae (90 workers), and Mission Bay Convalescent Hospital in San Francisco (35 workers). Workers at a small nursing home in San Francisco, Convalescent Center Mission Street, and Prison Health Services in Dublin and Oakland appear to have chosen NUHW by a small margin in elections held there recently, however SEIU-UHW will be filing formal objections to the election results due to management and Board misconduct.  
 
"I’m relieved--staying with SEIU-UHW means we’re not going to risk losing any of our hard-won benefits. Now we can focus on our real work: Taking care of our residents,” said Nathanial Stewart, a cook at Sunbridge Kingsburg.
 

Caregivers at 12 other facilities with elections scheduled will be voting in the coming weeks, although it is highly likely that NUHW will continue to pull out of many of these elections rather than suffer humiliating defeats. Elections scheduled:
 
May 3

• Tiburcio Vasquez Clinic in Hayward, 120 workers
   
  

May 5

• All Saints Sub-Acute & Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro, 80 workers
   
  

May 10

• Windsor Manor of Concord, 170 workers
  
• Windsor Gardens of Hayward, 60 workers
  
• Windsor Park Care Center of Fremont, 60 workers
   
  

May 11

• Enloe Medical Center (Crothall) in Chico, 80 workers
  
• Windsor Skyline Care Center in Salinas, 60 workers
   
  

May 12

• Windsor Monterey Care Center in Monterey, 50 workers
   
  

May 13

• Windsor the Ridge Rehabilitation Center in Salinas, 100 workers
   
  

May 14

• Windsor Gardens of Salinas, 90 workers
   
  

May 17

• In-Home Supportive Services Consortium in San Francisco, 500 workers
  
• Windsor Country Drive Care Center of Fremont, 100 workers
   
  

NUHW is still desperately trying to stop elections at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, Sutter Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, and Centinela Hospital in Inglewood. In many cases NUHW is now challenging the composition of the bargaining units, even though they are the same bargaining units for which they themselves petitioned for the election.
 
For more information, or to talk to workers involved, please contact Adriana Surfas at 510.869.2246 or asurfas@seiu-uhw.org.
 

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 SEIU – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org