NUHW Still Won't Agree to Election for 43,000 Kaiser Workers
OAKLAND - The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) is still refusing to agree to a union election for 43,000 Kaiser workers to go forward in the next 60 days, even though it was their organization that filed for the election June 29 with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
On Friday, 15 Kaiser workers marched on the NUHW office in Emeryville to demand that officials sign the agreement immediately. (See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBGxtzYujC0.)
At a hearing before the NLRB eight days ago, members of the Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) readily agreed to hold the election as soon as possible and signed an election agreement. But NUHW officials stalled for nearly five hours and then refused to sign before leaving the NLRB offices in downtown Oakland.
At the time, NUHW officials said they would work with the NLRB and SEIU-UHW to hammer out an election agreement, but so far they have taken no action to move forward on setting an election date. The board has strongly indicated they will dismiss NUHW's election petition if it doesn't sign the agreement by July 22.
"Kaiser workers are scratching their heads wondering why NUHW would file for an election and then not be prepared to move ahead with it," said Marillyn McDaniel, a lead receptionist at Kaiser Panarama City. "We are ready to vote NUHW out of our facilities if they will stop stalling. I think they know what's coming and don't want to take their medicine."
The election, which would be the biggest among private sector workers in 70 years, would give Kaiser employees the option of remaining in SEIU-UHW or moving into NUHW. The workers recently settled a two-year contract with Kaiser that provides 9 percent in raises, maintains the workers' fully employer-paid family healthcare, and includes job security guarantees. That contract would have to be re-bargained if workers vote to switch unions, and the gains they recently achieved would be in jeopardy.
NUHW is a union started by former SEIU-UHW officials, including former union President Sal Rosselli, who were removed from office for misusing millions in members' dues money and violating members' democratic rights. In April, a federal jury found that they had misused union money for their own purposes and tried to sabotage SEIU-UHW's ability to represent workers and ordered NUHW, Rosselli, and more than two dozen others to pay $1.57 million in damages to SEIU-UHW members.