FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 13, 2026

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CALEXICO, Calif.—After workers faced unprecedented levels of intimidation and harassment in their efforts to form their union with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), the National Labor Relations Board under the Trump administration has issued a far-reaching complaint holding Innercare CEO Yvonne Bell and other management responsible for violating workers’ rights.

Innercare’s anti-union behavior and labor law violations, including illegal termination of 11 employees, resulted in more than 30 Unfair Labor Practice charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The National Labor Relations Board issues a complaint only when they have found merit in a case, and the extent of the requested remedy shows how egregious the federal government believes Innercare’s violations of labor law and workers’ rights have been.

“Innercare workers were harassed, intimidated, and fired for exercising our legal right to form a union,” said, Maabel Quevedo Cuevas a former Telehealth Technician at Innercare Calexico clinic. “I feel vindicated that the federal government is calling out Innercare’s illegal behavior and is holding management accountable.”

The proposed remedy includes a requirement that Innercare CEO Yvonne Bell personally acknowledge to workers that Innercare broke the law and violated workers’ rights, and immediate recognition of SEIU-UHW as the union representing Innercare workers without rerunning an election, with a requirement that Innercare enter into good-faith bargaining. SEIU-UHW also expects all illegally terminated workers to be reinstated and made whole for lost pay.

The hearing on this case is scheduled for March 17, 2026 in San Diego.

BACKGROUND:

Innercare spent more than $500,000 on illegal union-busting, a portion of the $29 million in their 2023 budget that was not spent on patient care or services. Innercare is one of many bad-actors in California’s community clinics system, with numerous clinic systems having faced lawsuits for wage theft and other violations of workers’ rights. The California community clinics system as a whole has $1.7 billion dollars that are not spent on patient care & services.

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SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 120,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians provided by valued and respected healthcare workers.