The victories for members of the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) bring to 9 the number of facilities where workers have chosen SEIU-UHW over NUHW in the past two weeks. Since Rosselli and the others were removed from union office 15 months ago, 65,260 SEIU-UHW members have chosen to stay in SEIU-UHW – more than 95% of the members who have been given the choice.  
 
With this threat to their organization and contracts eliminated, these workers are now returning their focus to patient care and the workplace issues that affect it.
 
“I’ve worked for Kyakameena for 36 years and I’m proud to be a part of SEIU-UHW.  I know having a strong union in these tough economic times will help us keep good contracts, protect our job security and provide for our families,” said Willie Shakoor, a janitor at the Kayakameena Sanatorium.
 
Tuesday’s elections took place at Willow Pass Healthcare Center in Concord (80 workers), Elmwood Care Center in Berkeley (60 workers), Kyakameena Sanatorium in Berkeley (50 workers), and San Leandro Healthcare Center in San Leandro (60 workers).  They are the front end of a wave of union elections that will take place in California throughout April and May (see list below).
 
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), and Avalon Chowchilla nursing home in Avalon (50 workers) .  Workers at Prison Health Services in Dublin and Oakland appear to have chosen NUHW by a small margin in an election held there yesterday, however SEIU-UHW will be filing formal objections to the election results on Friday due to management and Board misconduct.  
 
Caregivers at 26 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 thus far:
 

April 23

• Convalescent Center Mission Street in San Francisco, 50 workers
  
  

April 26

• Hayward Convalescent in Hayward, 80 workers
  
• Lifehouse in San Jose, 120 workers
  
  

April 28

• Central Gardens Convalescent Hospital in San Francisco, 80 workers
  
• Millbrae Serra Convalescent Hospital in Millbrae, 90 workers
  
  

April 29

• Mission Bay Convalescent Hospital in San Francisco, 35 workers
  
  

April 30

• Cedars of Marin in Ross, 20 workers
  
  

May 3

• Tiburcio Vasquez Clinic in Hayward, 120 workers
  
  

May 4  

• 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
  
  

May 5

• Marysville Care Center in Marysville, 90 workers
  
• All Saints Sub-Acute & Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro, 80 workers
  
  

May 6

• Vista Manor Nursing Center in San Jose, 80 workers
  
• Kingsburg Care Center in Kingsburg in Kingsburg, 70 workers
  
• Creekside Care Center (Heritage) in Stockton, 50 workers
  
• Washington Care and Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro, 60 workers
  
  

May 7

• Country Villa in San Rafael, 60 workers
  
  

May 10

• Golden Living (Beverly Manor) Convalescent Center in Fresno, 160 workers
  
• Clovis Convalescent Hospital in Clovis, 50 workers
  
  

May 11

• Enloe Medical Center (Crothall) in Chico, 80 workers
  
• Golden Living (Beverly) Center – Hy-Pana in Stockton, 70 workers
  
• Golden Living (Beverly) Center in Galt, 70 workers
  
  

May 17

• In-Home Supportive Services Consortium in San Francisco, 500 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 Amanda Cooper at 510-587-4588 or acooper@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