Afraid of Workers’ Choice of SEIU-UHW, NUHW Walks Away from 2 More Elections-Now 11 Losses

More than 200 caregivers at Hayward Convalescent in Hayward and Lifehouse in San Jose won their election campaign yesterday over the organization started by former SEIU-UHW President Sal Rosselli and other former union officials.

The victories for members of the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) bring to eleven the number of facilities where workers have chosen SEIU-UHW over NUHW in the past two weeks. Since Rosselli and the others were removed from union office 15 months ago, 65,460 SEIU-UHW members have chosen to stay in SEIU-UHW – more than 95% of the members who have been given the choice.

The caregivers at both nursing homes were unambiguous in stating that 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 yesterday with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and called off the elections just days before the vote. The elections were scheduled for Mon., April 23.

“I am extremely happy we won! Because of our former union officials, now NUHW officials, we don't have a contract, haven’t had raises in nearly three years, and have suffered so many takeaways. Today is one huge victory. We are staying strong and staying united in our union, SEIU-UHW,” said Marisa Dumlao, Laundry at Lifehouse

With this threat to their organization and contracts eliminated, these workers are now returning their focus to patient care and the workplace issues that affect it.

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. Also this month NUHW has given up rather than face defeat at St. Francis Medical Center, part of the Daughters of Charity Health Systems, in Lynwood (920 workers), Tiller Oakridge Care Center in Oakridge (100 workers), San Marco Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Concord (90 workers), and Avalon Chowchilla nursing home in Avalon (50 workers). Workers at a small nursing home in San Francisco, Convalescent Center Mission Street, and Prison Health Services in Dublin and Oakland appear to have chosen NUHW by a small margin in elections held there this week, however SEIU-UHW will be filing formal objections to the election results due to management and Board misconduct.

“I am very happy and excited that we won. Now, the most important thing is that with SEIU-UHW we are going strong into our contract fight,” said Victor Velazquez, a certified nurses assistant at Hayward Convalescent.

Caregivers at 28 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 thus far:

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 3
Tiburcio Vasquez Clinic in Hayward, 120 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
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

May 7
Country Villa in San Rafael, 60 workers
University Mound Ladies Home in San Francisco, 20 workers

May 10
Golden Living (Beverly Manor) Convalescent Center in Fresno, 160 workers
Clovis Convalescent Hospital in Clovis, 50 workers
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
Golden Living (Beverly) Center – Hy-Pana in Stockton, 70 workers
Golden Living (Beverly) Center in Galt, 70 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.