On Saturday, March 6, Kaiser workplace leaders from across California met in Fresno to discuss strategies to win our upcoming Kaiser election for 45,000 of us to take back our union with NUHW.

We heard inspirational speakers and presentations by our co-workers sharing stories and experiences from our workplaces.

We also launched our new weekly newsletter, Kaiser Update. Click here for the March 6 edition to share with your coworkers.

116 San Francisco elected officials, community leaders, and allies have written an open letter to SEIU-UHW’s trustees. These leaders have called on SEIU to put an end to the intimidation and harassment of caregivers, and they’ve asked SEIU to agree to fair ground rules for our elections.

Signers include 10 of the 11 San Francisco Supervisors, State Senator Mark Leno, and Assemblymembers Fiona Ma and Tom Ammiano.

Read more in the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Today, nearly 20 leaders in San Francisco’s Chinese community, including Mabel Teng, Vincent Pan, Alex Tom, and Norman Fong, announced their support for NUHW in coming elections for healthcare workers to choose their union.

Read their letter of support.

Click here for full-screen slideshow

Since Wednesday, Disney hotel workers have been holding a water-only fast for justice outside the Grand Californian Hotel. NUHW nurses have been by their side every morning and night to monitor their health as they go without food to bring attention to the health and safety issues they face at work.

Yesterday, NUHW members and supporters across Southern California joined Unite Here members in Anaheim for a rally to support the workers. NUHW leader and Kaiser therapist Jim Clifford joined the fast and will be blogging at DisneyIsUnfaithful.org.

The National Labor Relations Board today ordered elections for nearly 600 workers at USC University Hospital to join NUHW, including 65 Sodexho employees who work at the hospital.

Like the recent elections at Kaiser, both of these elections are votes that SEIU tried for months to stop. But the board rejected SEIU’s effort and protected caregivers’ right to vote.

The federal government has ruled against SEIU and in favor of NUHW supporters in a string of recent decisions that are paving the way for elections by tens of thousands of healthcare workers this year.

UPDATE: It’s official! On Feb. 3 the labor board certified NUHW as the official representative of Kaiser professionals across Southern California.

Dozens of Kaiser and hospital workers came to the Los Angeles labor board office to watch the ballot count and celebrate our victory together.

Click here to watch the slideshow in a full-screen window.

2,300 Kaiser professionals in Southern California have joined NUHW in a landslide election victory.

• NUHW statement | Year One report
• Los Angeles Times
• In These Times
• Sacramento Business Journal
• Labor Notes
• Beyond Chron
• San Diego Union Tribune

Melissa Bosanco, Care Partner at Santa Rosa Memorial“There’s no question that my co-workers and I are joining NUHW. We voted NUHW because we want a voice to make our hospital a better place to work and a better place for our community to get care.”

Management at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital has agreed to accept a determination by the federal government that resolves the question of 13 challenged ballots and gives NUHW an absolute majority.

The hospital is still pressing forward with objections to the election, claiming that workers were confused when they voted for union representation. Those objections could be dismissed within weeks.

Elected officials and religious leaders have called on hospital administration to drop the objections, including Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, State Senators Mark Leno and Pat Wiggins, Assemblymembers Jared Huffman, Noreen Evans, and Wes Chesbro, local Catholic leader Monsignor John Brenkle, and former Sister of St. Joseph of Orange JoAnn Consiglieri.

Hear why members and leaders of the Healthcare Professionals Chapter, Psych-social Chapter, and American Federation of Nurses are voting NUHW to take back our union.

Have questions about the election for Kaiser professionals? Get answers.