Dorothy Ray, CNA, Florin Healthcare Center, Sacramento

“We’re voting NUHW to take our union back. We want to stay united with Kaiser workers, and keep moving forward with the experienced negotiators who have helped us win for years.”

Caregivers at ten nursing homes operated by GranCare (formerly Mariner) have petitioned the labor board for an election to join NUHW and end their membership in the SEIU.

The 1,000 caregivers at GranCare homes have become the latest to join an exodus of more than 100,000 SEIU members across California who are fleeing the troubled union.

In 2008, represented by the workplace leaders and negotiators who are now with NUHW, GranCare workers won the first nursing home contract ever to tie caregivers wages to wages at Kaiser Foundation hospitals. The Kaiser contract, also bargained by NUHW’s negotiators, sets the standard for California’s healthcare industry.

In January, nearly 1,000 Kaiser LAMC registered nurses voted 746 to 36 and joined NUHW. Hear how nurses are moving forward with a stronger, democratic voice at work.   

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.

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.

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