950 Caregivers at St. Francis Medical Center Win Election Campaign Over NUHW, Bringing to More than 1,800 Workers in Past Two Weeks Who Are Staying United in SEIU-UHW
LYNWOOD, CA – More than 950 caregivers at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood won their election campaign today over the organization started by former SEIU-UHW President Sal Rosselli and other former union officials.
The victory for members of the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is the seventh in a row in the past two weeks, bringing to 1,800 the number of members who no longer are threatened by Rosselli’s organization.
Worker after worker at St. Francis Medical Center, part of the Daughters of Charity health system, said they were voting to keep their union, SEIU-UHW. To avoid an overwhelming defeat, Rosselli’s organization, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), withdrew its petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and called off the election just days before the vote.
“I knew we would stand together to keep our contract, our raises, and the things we fought 18 months to win. We had to, to protect our union and everything we’ve built. SEIU-UHW members are standing up and showing NUHW the door,” said Mary Newton, a licensed vocational nurse in the emergency room.
The victory at St. Francis is part of a wave of elections scheduled at hospitals and nursing homes in April and May where SEIU-UHW members are expected to reaffirm their union and remove any threat from NUHW.
These elections will go a long way toward demonstrating that the vast majority of SEIU-UHW members want to stay united in their union. So far, 96% of SEIU-UHW members have rejected NUHW, and that number is expected to rise in the coming weeks.
St. Francis is the fourth facility in eleven days where NUHW gave up rather than face defeat. The other facilities include 100 workers at Tiller Oakridge Care Center in Oakridge; 90 workers at San Marco Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Concord; and Avalon Chowchilla nursing home in Avalon, 50 workers. At two other facilities – Western Medical Center Anaheim, 280 workers, and Coastal Communities, 330 workers – the NLRB dismissed NUHW petitions that NUHW filed as public relations stunts last year.
“We did it! We stuck together and now we are finally ‘NUHW free’ at St. Francis. It feels great to know that the contract gains we fought for together are secure, and that we are SEIU-UHW forever!” stated Veronica Garcia, a health care tech in labor and delivery.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) was created by former SEIU-UHW officials who were removed from office more than a year ago for misusing millions in union funds and violating members’ democratic rights. Last week a federal jury ordered NUHW and its leaders to pay a combined $1.5 million in damages to the members of SEIU-UHW.
Caregivers at 18 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 those elections rather than suffer humiliating defeats. Elections scheduled thus far:
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 Immediate Release: Friday, April 16, 2010
Worker after worker at St. Francis Medical Center, part of the Daughters of Charity health system, said they were voting to keep their union, SEIU-UHW. To avoid an overwhelming defeat, Rosselli’s organization, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), withdrew its petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and called off the election just days before the vote.
“I knew we would stand together to keep our contract, our raises, and the things we fought 18 months to win. We had to, to protect our union and everything we’ve built. SEIU-UHW members are standing up and showing NUHW the door,” said Mary Newton, a licensed vocational nurse in the emergency room.
The victory at St. Francis is part of a wave of elections scheduled at hospitals and nursing homes in April and May where SEIU-UHW members are expected to reaffirm their union and remove any threat from NUHW.
These elections will go a long way toward demonstrating that the vast majority of SEIU-UHW members want to stay united in their union. So far, 96% of SEIU-UHW members have rejected NUHW, and that number is expected to rise in the coming weeks.
St. Francis is the fourth facility in eleven days where NUHW gave up rather than face defeat. The other facilities include 100 workers at Tiller Oakridge Care Center in Oakridge; 90 workers at San Marco Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Concord; and Avalon Chowchilla nursing home in Avalon, 50 workers. At two other facilities – Western Medical Center Anaheim, 280 workers, and Coastal Communities, 330 workers – the NLRB dismissed NUHW petitions that NUHW filed as public relations stunts last year.
“We did it! We stuck together and now we are finally ‘NUHW free’ at St. Francis. It feels great to know that the contract gains we fought for together are secure, and that we are SEIU-UHW forever!” stated Veronica Garcia, a health care tech in labor and delivery.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) was created by former SEIU-UHW officials who were removed from office more than a year ago for misusing millions in union funds and violating members’ democratic rights. Last week a federal jury ordered NUHW and its leaders to pay a combined $1.5 million in damages to the members of SEIU-UHW.
Caregivers at 18 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 those elections rather than suffer humiliating defeats. Elections scheduled thus far:
April 20
- Prison Health Services in Dublin and Oakland, 140 workers
- Willow Pass Healthcare Center in Concord, 80 workers
- Elmwood Care Center in Berkeley, 60 workers
- Kyakameena Sanatorium in Berkeley, 50 workers
- San Leandro Healthcare Center in San Leandro, 60 workers
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 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
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.
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For Immediate Release: Friday, April 16, 2010
Contact: Adriana Surfas, 510-869-2246
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