Bad News Continues for Upstart Union: SEIU-UHW Members Defeat NUHW at Six Healthcare Facilities Just Days After Major Victory at Kaiser

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Healthcare workers at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, food service workers at Enloe Medical Center, and caregivers at all four Pradap Poddatoori nursing homes in the Bay Area have won their elections to remain with the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) in yet another repudiation of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), the union started by former SEIU-UHW President Sal Rosselli and other ousted former officials.

The wins come on the heels of SEIU-UHW's overwhelming defeat of NUHW at Kaiser Permanente, where an additional 43,500 members rejected NUHW last week.

These victories bring the number of members who have chosen SEIU-UHW over NUHW in the past 21 months to more than 120,000—or nearly 97 percent—as compared to just 4,300 for NUHW.

"NUHW is history—first at Kaiser and now at our facility," said Frances Andujar, a licensed vocational nurse at Chinese Hospital. "It's time for all of us to heal the division and stand together with SEIU-UHW."

Over the past several months, worker after worker at Chinese Hospital and Enloe Medical Center vowed to vote SEIU-UHW. Knowing they were about to lose both elections, NUHW officials withdrew their petitions with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and called off the elections just before the vote. The Chinese Hospital election was scheduled for today. The Enloe Medical Center election was set for a vote on Thursday.

"I'm glad it's official," said Deckyi Dolma, a certified nursing assistant at Pradap Poddatoori's Elmwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Berkeley. "We are keeping our contract with our union, SEIU-UHW!"

SEIU-UHW won the vote count at Pradap Poddatoori nursing homes in Elmwood, Kyakameena, San Leandro, and Willow Pass in April, but NUHW filed challenges to delay final certification of the results. The final challenged ballots were counted October 13 and SEIU-UHW members emerged victorious—as they have in all the other elections NUHW has attempted to overturn.  

NUHW was created by former SEIU-UHW officials who were removed from office for misusing millions in union funds and violating members' democratic rights. In April, a federal jury ordered NUHW and its leaders to pay a combined $1.57 million in damages to the members of SEIU-UHW.

SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest healthcare union in the western U.S. with more than 150,000 members. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

SOURCE SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West