Over the years, UHW has been a leader in re-invigorating the labor movement, developing strong member activists, winning solid contracts, and organizing thousands of new members. They represents 150,000 healthcare workers in California.

Here's what UHW has posted on their website (http://www.seiu-uhw.org):

"SEIU officials in Washington, D.C. are trying to take our union – Our UHW – away from us, the workers who have made it so strong.

SEIU President Andy Stern has called a trusteeship hearing for September 26 and 27 to try to silence our voices and put Our UHW under the control of appointed leaders from Washington D.C. It is clear that Stern is retaliating against us for fighting his attempt to move more than 65,000 of our members into a union where his hand-picked leaders were allegedly diverting more than a million dollars in dues money for personal use.

Our UHW is member-led — because we know that it is workers, not bosses in Washington D.C., who know what’s best for our families and our patients. Our UHW has won some of the best contracts in the country, organized more new workers into our union this year than the rest of SEIU combined and has won important reforms like needle-stick protection and nurse-patient ratios.

Andy Stern’s effort to put Our UHW into trusteeship puts all of our hard-earned gains at risk. It’s time to show Stern
and other SEIU leaders that we will never let them take control of our union."