In April alone, by a more than 20-to-1 margin SEIU-UHW members are choosing to stay united in their union over NUHW.  With this victory, workers in 32 facilities have committed to their existing union, SEIU-UHW. Since Rosselli and the others were removed from union office 15 months ago, 69,080 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 Tiburcio Vasquez facing union elections were unequivocal in their support for SEIU-UHW. To avoid an overwhelming defeat NUHW withdrew its petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and called off the election just days before the vote scheduled for May 3.
 
“We want to be able to do our jobs and care for our patients, but NUHW has made itself a distraction at our clinic. Clearly, NUHW got the message: We’re sticking with our union, SEIU-UHW,” said Alma Guzman, a dental receptionist.

This month the other facilities in which SEIU-UHW members eliminated the NUHW threat to their union are:
 

• St. Francis Medical Center, part of the Daughters of Charity Health Systems, in Lynwood, 920 workers
  
• 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
  
• 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
  
• Mission Bay Convalescent Hospital in San Francisco, 35 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
  
• 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

 
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.   
 

Caregivers at 11 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 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.
 

###